Department of Health and Social Care

Dental Health: Children

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of gamifying tooth brushing for children.

Steve Brine: No assessment has been made of the benefits of gamifying tooth brushing for children.

General Practitioners: North Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any of the £20,000 bursaries for newly qualified GPs have been assigned to locations in North Herefordshire.

Steve Brine: The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment scheme was launched in 2016 and offers a £20,000 salary supplement to attract doctors to enter general practitioner (GP) speciality training in parts of the country where there have been consistent shortages of GP trainees. The scheme is open to GP trainees committed to working their three years of specialty training in areas identified by the GP National Recruitment Office as having the hardest to recruit to training places in England. 238 trainees have entered the scheme so far. 265 places have been made available in 2018. Places were available on the scheme in Hereford and Worcester in 2017 and further places have been made available in 2018.

Human Papillomavirus: Prostate Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on investigation of a causal link between the HPV vaccine and prostate cancer.

Steve Brine: There is no evidence to suggest that the human papillomavirus vaccine may have a causal role in the development of prostate cancer, and we have had no such discussions with clinical bodies.

Cancer: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134408, what plans his Department has to involve patient organisations in the review of the operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Steve Brine: There are no plans to involve patient organisations during this review as the evaluation is purely focused on the operational aspects of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). The review will be conducted by the head of Commercial Operations at NHS England, supported by the national CDF team. The report, following the evaluation, will be published on NHS England’s website. This report will inform stakeholders and the wider public how the CDF has performed since the reforms to the Fund took effect in July 2016.

Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the primary care support services contract awarded to Capita in 2016, whether Capita's certificate of past performance for that contract was self-certificated.

Steve Brine: A requirement of the tender process for the primary care support (PCS) services contract awarded to Capita in 2015 was that potential suppliers had to submit a pre-qualification questionnaire demonstrating their technical and professional abilities as well as past performance in delivering contracts. Capita provided 15 certificates of past performance as part of their PCS tender in 2014, only five of which were ‘self-certified’. Where Capita ‘self-certified’, they provided an explanation of why they were unable to obtain a certificate.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will place in the Library of the House a copy of the Private Finance Initiative contract for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich agreed in 2009 between the Meridian Hospital Company and the South London Healthcare Trust.

Stephen Barclay: The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract for the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich was signed in 1998 between the former Queen Elizabeth Hospitals NHS Trust and the Meridian Hospital Company. Queen Elizabeth Hospitals NHS Trust was dissolved in April 2009 and merged with three other National Health Service trusts to form the South London NHS Trust in their place, the PFI contract transferring to the new trust. The contract transferred to the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust on the dissolution of South London NHS Trust in October 2013. A copy of the contract is attached.



PQ141858 attached document
(PDF Document, 392.73 KB)

Muscular Dystrophy: Clinical Trials

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase capacity at muscle centres to conduct clinical trials.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) works closely with its partners - including charities, other public funders and industry – to ensure the best possible environment for supporting clinical trials. In particular, the NIHR funds infrastructure in the National Health Service to support research and trials, providing the expertise and facilities for high quality research which aims to speed up translation from clinical research to patient benefits. To aid in the delivery of early phase musculoskeletal research, the NIHR has a number of Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) with musculoskeletal research themes. These are partnerships between leading NHS organisations and universities, which focus on conducting early translational research. There were 351 musculoskeletal research studies across the BRCs and Biomedical Research Units in 2016-17. The NIHR Translational Research Collaboration in joint and related inflammatory diseases brings together internationally recognised investigators in the United Kingdom's leading centres of excellence to carry out early phase research. In addition, NIHR Medtech and In vitro diagnostics Co-operatives build expertise and capacity in the NHS to develop new medical technologies and provide evidence on commercially-supplied in vitro diagnostic tests. The Leeds In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative has a musculoskeletal theme. Support for muscular wasting disease research is one of the NIHR’s great success stories. Laboratory findings have been taken into NIHR early phase research facilities and developed target products to be trialled in NIHR Paediatric Clinical Research Facilities. These earlier trials are spread across all NHS England Specialised Commissioning funded Muscle Centres and using the support of the NIHR Clinical Research Network have resulted in translating new products for approval by regulators. This work has been done in collaboration with charities and provides a model for building capacity in rare diseases. There is also a further rich vein of commercial clinical trials becoming available for rare muscle wasting diseases. The NIHR and NHS England are committed to ensuring these studies are prioritised through the centres in line with the NIHR/NHS England joint statement on research from November 2017. Further information and the response to the subsequent consultation was published on 4 May 2018: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/supporting-research-in-the-nhs-consultation-response.pdf

Medical Treatments: Innovation

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on ensuring equitable access to treatments following a positive scientific opinion through the Early Access to Medicines Scheme.

Steve Brine: The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy set out our vision of being a world-leader in developing and bringing to market innovative medicines to improve patient outcomes. It highlighted the importance of evolving and simplifying the access system for new medicines by implementing, and building on, the findings of the Accelerated Access Review. The Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) is an important part of delivering on this ambition. The Department works closely with NHS England to make a success of EAMS, jointly attending a task group with industry, the devolved administrations and arms length bodies to drive improvements to the scheme. NHS England is involved throughout the EAMS process, receiving advance notice before a product receives a positive Scientific Opinion. This enables NHS England to carry out earlier engagement with industry to prepare to provide access to the drug during the EAMS period. Access to drugs through EAMS will not be universal, however as it is for individual clinicians to determine whether they believe it is right to offer the medicine to patients. We believe this is the right approach because EAMS products are unlicensed medicines. For a drug that applies to specialised commissioning, access will only be allowed in those centres who meet the appropriate service specification.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) mobile screening units and (b) other additional equipment will need to be purchased to increase the capacity of the breast screening programme to meet increased demand as a result of the computer error.

Steve Brine: NHS England is taking major steps to put in place additional capacity of screening services to respond to the breast screening incident. NHS England is unable to state whether additional equipment will be required at this stage, however existing equipment will be used over evenings and weekends.

Prescriptions: Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 120069, on Prescriptions: Universal Credit, when free prescription forms will be amended to include universal credit.

Steve Brine: The Department does not yet have a confirmed date for the revised FP10 (National Health Service prescription form) to be in circulation. The NHS Business Services Authority has undertaken research with patients and pharmacy staff to update and re-design the form. The final layout has yet to be agreed and NHS Digital is carrying out work in order to make corresponding changes to the Electronic Prescription Service.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role charities will play in the planned inquiry into the failure to invite women aged 68-71 to breast screening since 2009.

Steve Brine: The planned inquiry (independent review) will be chaired by Lynda Thomas, Chief Executive of Macmillian Cancer Support and Professor Martin Gore, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Professor of Cancer Medicine at the Royal Mardsen, with Peter Wyman, Chair of the Care Quality Commission as vice-chair. The terms of reference for the review are still to be agreed with the Chairs.

Ophthalmic Services

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to meet demand for ophthalmology treatment in hospitals.

Steve Brine: NHS England is responsible for commissioning the primary care National Health Service sight testing service. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning secondary care ophthalmic services. CCGs are also able to commission eye care services in the community which go beyond the standard NHS sight test, where they judge them to be needed in their areas. CCGs are required, for all services they commission, to assess the health needs of their local population and are held locally to account to the population they serve through the health and wellbeing boards. In taking any decision about the health of the local population, the CCG has to ensure that services meet the needs of the local population.

NHS: Staff

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on visa restrictions for potential NHS staff.

Stephen Barclay: My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on a number of issues, including on the issue of tier 2 visas for potential National Health Service staff. The Government recognises fully the contribution that international doctors working in the NHS make towards delivering the high quality compassionate care we all expect. But it is important that our immigration system works in the national interest, ensuring that employers look first to the United Kingdom resident labour market before recruiting from overseas. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office are monitoring the operation of the cap closely to ensure it continues to strike the right balance. The health sector continues to occupy the largest cohort of applications within the tier 2 limit, taking 39% of available places within the cap in 2017/18.

Care Homes: Standards

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria the Care Quality Commission uses to determine the closure timeframe for a care home subsequent to a below standard rating and inadequate remedial action since that rating was given.

Caroline Dinenage: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has provided the following response. For urgent closures, the CQC’s enforcement policy is in line with the thresholds set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008, Section 30 where there is a serious risk to a person’s life, health or well-being. The CQC must apply to a Justice of the Peace for an order cancelling the registration of a person as a service provider or manager in respect of a regulated activity. Closures may also take place on a non-urgent basis. This may be related to the poor quality of a service and/or its lack of capacity or capability to improve. Where a service is rated Requires Improvement overall, but one of the CQC’s five key inspection domains (is the service Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-Led?) is rated Inadequate, the CQC will re-inspect the service within six months. If the service remains rated as Inadequate in any of the five key inspection domains, the service will enter Special Measures. This is the same process for a service rated overall as Inadequate, which enters Special Measures straight away. For services in Special Measures, the CQC expects the provider to seek appropriate support to improve the quality of the service. The CQC may signpost the provider to improvement support agencies. The CQC will inspect the service again within six months of the date of publication of the inspection report placing it in Special Measures. The CQC will always prioritise and respond to risk, so may re-inspect at any time. The maximum time for a service to be in Special Measures is usually no more than 12 months. If, at the end of that period, the service still has a rating of Inadequate in any of the five key inspection domains or overall, the CQC will decide whether to cancel or suspend its registration, or vary or impose conditions on its registration.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) care homes and (b) individuals who pay directly for care who are unable to afford to pay the six-year back payment liability to carers.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department commissioned analysis to assess the impact of National Minimum Wage sleep-in liabilities across the social care sector. This work forms part of the evidence base that is being used to assess options and is subject to further analysis and refinement. Consequently, there is currently no timetable for sharing this information. Personal budget holders and individuals arranging their own care are often amongst the most vulnerable in society. HM Revenue and Customs are working with local authorities to ensure that personal budget holders receive the necessary help and support.

Department of Health and Social Care: Apprentices

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what levels of apprenticeships are offered by his Department; and how many apprenticeship starts there were at each level in each of the last three years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department is committed to the Civil Service apprenticeships agenda, and is striving to form at least 2.3% of our workforce through apprenticeships at a variety of levels. Apprenticeships are currently offered by the Department at Level 3 to Level 7 (inclusive). Since 1 April 2015, there have been the following apprenticeship starts in the Department:YearLevelApprenticeship starts2015/16Level 422016/17Level 37Level 472017/18Level 34Level 49Level 51Level 772018/19Level 31Level 41Level 512018/19 confirmed but not yet startedFast Track Apprentice8Forecasted 2018/19 Q1 5

Postnatal Depression

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications of the report by the National Childbirth Trust entitled Hidden Half: bringing postnatal mental illness out of hiding, published in June 2017, for his Department's policies on (a) funding for GPs to carry out appropriate postnatal checks, (b) commissioning of research into the effect of such mental illness on outcomes for children and (c) better diagnosis of such mental illness; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This Government is committed to improving perinatal mental health services for women during pregnancy and in the first postnatal year, so that women are able to access the right care at the right time and close to home. The Department is investing £365 million to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services. This investment will ensure that at least 30,000 more women each year by 2020/21 are able to access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period. The National Childbirth Trust ‘Hidden Half’ reports calls for all new mothers to have the full appointment for their six week post-natal check with their general practitioner (GP). All GP practices are expected to provide maternity medical services for their registered patients. GPs are paid to provide these services. Practices may however exceptionally choose to opt out of providing such services, for example on workload grounds. Practices which choose to opt out will relinquish a proportion of their global sum income – currently 2.1%. It is the responsibility of the lead commissioner locally (NHS England or clinical commissioning groups under delegated agreement) to ensure the patients of opted out practices can continue to access these services e.g. commissioning the service from a nearby alternative practice. The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Green Paper, published in December 2017, has proposed to commission further research into interventions that support parents and carers to build and/or improve the quality of attachment relationships with their babies. Further analysis will also be considered in areas such as supporting healthcare professionals to understand the importance of healthy, low-stress pregnancies and healthy childhoods. General practitioners and primary care teams have a role in supporting the identification of perinatal mental illness and treatment, and are part of an integrated pathway of services. Targeted funding of £1.2 million was provided in 2017 to enable the training of primary care, maternity and mental health staff to increase awareness and skills related to perinatal mental health.

Children: Autism

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of NICE guidelines on the identification of, assessment of and interventions for children with autism.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) quality standards and guidelines as a description of best practice developed through wide consultation with experts and stakeholders taking into account the latest evidence. As best practice, public sector organisations should take them into account in the care and treatment of patients, but they are not mandatory. All published guidance is subject to regular review; the NICE guideline Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis was last reviewed and updated in December 2017.

Dementia: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated in 2017 to dementia care in (a) Mansfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands.

Caroline Dinenage: Information on how much funding was allocated to dementia services in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and East Midlands is not available centrally.

Maternal Mortality

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department taking to reduce maternal mortality rates.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is working with NHS England to continue driving down levels of stillbirth, neonatal mortality and maternal deaths. This is supported by initiatives set out in the 2017 Maternity Safety Strategy. These include:- Independent learning investigations conducted by the Health Safety Investigation Branch into every case of maternal death. This will ensure that learning can be captured in an open and transparent way and quickly fed back into the system to reduce the likelihood of such events occurring again;- NHS England and the Women’s Health Clinical Reference Group are working to develop a plan to introduce a network of maternal medicine specialists across the country to care for pregnant women with significant health conditions such as cardiac disease, epilepsy or diabetes. Cardiovascular issues are the leading indirect cause of maternal death in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Department will provide funding over three years to train 12 consultant physicians as ‘Obstetric Physicians’. The Obstetric Physicians will provide expert care for pregnant women with complex medical problems;- Increasing the capacity in perinatal mental health services across England. This initiative was backed by a £365 million investment in 2016. Psychiatric causes such as suicide, drug and alcohol misuse are major causes of maternal death. Four new mental health Mother and Baby Units will open in the next two years and bed numbers in the existing 15 units will increase so that overall capacity is increased by 49% in 2018/19; and- NHS England is also working closely with Health Education England who are leading on the development of a perinatal mental health competency framework. This supports the perinatal mental health workforce to develop the required skills and knowledge to support better identification of perinatal mental illness, early intervention and improved recovery rates. Targeted funding of £1.2 million was provided in 2017 to enable the training of mental health, maternity and primary care staff to increase awareness and skills related to perinatal mental health. With these measures in place the Secretary of State for Health has set an ambition to halve the rate of maternal deaths by 2025.

Hearing Aids

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the provision of hearing aids on the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: Hearing aids are provided by the National Health Service, free at the point of need. Local clinical commissioning groups determine the specific routes to access for hearing aids. The ‘Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss’ framework published in 2016 brings together evidence, standards, guidance and case studies to encourage the adoption of best practice across hearing loss service commissioners.

Brain: Tumours

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the causes of changes in the number of cases of (a) brain and (b) glioblastoma multiforme tumours since 1995.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of whether there is a link between mobile phone usage and the increase in number of cases of glioblastoma multiforme tumours since 1995.

Steve Brine: The changing incidence of cancer is caused primarily by changes in the age of the population. This can be accounted for using an age-standardised rate. Between 2006 and 2015, the age-standardised rate for brain tumours increased from 8.7 per 100,000 to 9.1 per 100,000. However, with a relatively low number of cases it is difficult to be certain that this increase is statistically significant. Cancer Research UK says that, so far, the scientific evidence shows it is unlikely that mobile phones could increase the risk of brain tumours, or any other type of cancer.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his oral statement of 2 May 2018, Official Report, column 315, on Breast Cancer Screening, what training was given to Serco staff responsible for responding to queries on the PHE phone helpline before the helpline number was made public.

Steve Brine: Helpline staff received a package of training which is normal practice for such calls. This included face to face and written briefings so that information could be provided to callers with empathy. The helpline staff have been supported with a comprehensive triage process so that more complex calls could be escalated, including to a nurse call back service.

Diabetes

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support NICE to update their guidelines on the delivery of structured education for people with (a) type 1 and (b) type 2 diabetes to make use of new digital models of delivery.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for developing and updating its guidance as necessary in consultation with stakeholders. The Department contributes to the development of NICE guidance through the consultation process. NICE has guidance on individual approaches to behaviour change which is being updated to consider the use of technology such as apps, text messaging and the internet to drive improvements in behaviours such as physical activity, diet and weight. This will have particular relevance for guidelines around digital delivery of structured education for people living with type 2 diabetes. For type 1 diabetes NHS England intends to launch a new website in July 2018 on NHS.UK, which will focus on empowering people to self-manage their condition. Individuals visiting the site will be able to access remote personalised digital education content from Diabetes UK and an on-line education programme developed by Bournemouth Diabetes Centre.

Diabetes

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans there are to increase the number of diabetes apps available on the NHS Digital’s Apps Library.

Steve Brine: NHS Digital has confirmed that the apps library has two apps dedicated to diabetes and a further eight apps helping with healthy living including healthy eating plans and fitness. In addition, there are three apps helping with general practitioner appointment management and repeat prescription booking. NHS Digital has a further four apps that are nearing the completion of their assessment that it hopes to add to the library in the coming weeks. Diabetes is one of the top five conditions that NHS Digital is prioritising for the library, aligned with the NHS Five Year Forward View. NHS Digital is currently in the process of building a mechanism to enable healthcare professionals to be able to select their own priority health themes and have suitable apps assessed.

Diabetes

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is provided to (a) GPs and (b) other healthcare professionals to enable them to better utilise apps within the current NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme to improve patient care.

Steve Brine: The evidence base for digital and remote delivery of diabetes prevention programmes is still limited. In order to address this the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme has initiated pilots to implement digitally enabled programmes to support individuals with behaviour change and to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Five digital products have been chosen and are available in eight pilot areas across the country. The providers are working closely with participating general practitioners to identify and refer people to these programmes, which will be robustly evaluated to understand the effectiveness of these interventions and how they can be implemented alongside traditional approaches. NHS England aims to offer these services to around 5,000 individuals during 2018/19.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to enable women's frozen eggs to be kept for longer periods of time.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended in 2008, sets out the time limits and conditions for storing frozen eggs. The Government has no current plans to review this.

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Mrs Kemi Badenoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the running costs of the Child Maintenance Service and Child Support Agency were last year; and how much those parents who are the subject of cases administered by both organisations paid in maintenance in the same period.

Kit Malthouse: The cost of running the Child Maintenance Service and Child Support Agency for 2017/18 was £221.73m (excluding income) or £199.67m (net of income.) This is an Operational delivery cost only, and does not include any apportionment of DWP overheads. Please note: This is an unpublished figure, CMG costs are reported as part of the DWP Annual Report and Accounts and individual Operational/business areas are not separately identifiable in the DWP accounts.The 2017/18 cost figures have not yet been audited. The amounts of maintenance paid by parents in relation to cases administered by the CSA are published in table 4 of Child Support Agency quarterly summary of statistics: December 2017 available on line at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-december-2017. Similarly the amounts of maintenance paid by parents in relation to cases administered by the CMS are published in table 8 of Child Maintenance Service: Aug 2013 to Dec 2017 (experimental) available on line at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-aug-2013-to-dec-2017-experimental

Personal Independence Payment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Capita are paid for PIP Assessments which are later overturned on appeal.

Sarah Newton: Capita are paid based on the number of assessment reports completed which meet the Department’s quality standards. Decisions on entitlement to Personal Independent Payment are made by DWP Case Managers not the assessment provider. When a decision is overturned at appeal it does not necessarily mean that the original decision and the assessment report considered in the decision making process, was wrong. Often additional written evidence not available to either the DWP Case Manager or the assessor at the time of the assessment is made available.

Universal Credit

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what research her Department has undertaken into the universal credit claimant experience.

Alok Sharma: 83% of claimants are satisfied with their experience in Universal Credit. The latest published claimant satisfaction survey can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-claimant-service-and-experience-survey-2016-to-2017.

Sign Language

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to apply in England provisions equivalent to those of the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 .

Sarah Newton: Existing equality legislation already means employers, service providers and public bodies have to provide services in BSL and other formats when it is reasonable to do so. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to have due regard to the needs of all those with protected characteristics, We don’t think new legislation would add to that. However, we are looking at developments in Scotland and will learn lessons in order to inform our thinking for England and Wales.

Employment and Support Allowance

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2018 to Question 132726 on employment and support allowance, on what date the Cabinet Secretary issued the ministerial requirement that the wording of the ESA65B letters be revised.

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2018 to Question 132726 on employment and support allowance, for what reasons the revised ESA65B letter no longer notifies doctors that they should continue to provide fit notes for claimants if they are appealing a decision or their condition worsens.

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2018 to Question 132726 on employment and support allowance, if she will clarify whether an appellant will lose their entitlement to that allowance pending appeal if the appellant's GP stops signing fit notes.

Sarah Newton: The Cabinet Secretary first issued the requirement to revise the ESA65B letter in November 2014. The wording of the ESA65B was changed to emphasise the benefits of work and to ask GPs to encourage their patients in their efforts to return to some form of work. The wording of the revised version includes the following link to guidance for GPs on issuing fit notes: www.gov.uk/government/publications/fit-note-guidance-for-gps. This includes a link to detailed guidance on the benefits system for GPs available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-short-guide-to-the-benefit-system-for-general-practitioners which includes guidance on when a claimant is appealing and where their condition worsens or they develop a new condition. Claimants can be paid Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) whilst appealing a decision, the rate of which is equivalent to that of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). In order for someone to be paid ESA pending an appeal they need to provide the Department with fit notes in order to be treated as having Limited Capability for Work until the appeal is determined. However, this doesn’t apply where the claimant fails a second Work Capability Assessment. Where this is the case then ESA will not be paid pending the appeal and the claimant would need to claim JSA or Universal Credit (UC) (depending on where they lived). If a claimant’s GP does not provide them with a fit note during the appeal period they cannot be paid ESA but are able to claim JSA or UC where eligible.

Farms: Safety

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department provides on safety measures on farms.

Sarah Newton: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who has responsibility for health and safety in the agricultural sector, has published extensive guidance addressing a wide range of health and safety measures on farms. This guidance is available free of charge on HSE’s website and can be accessed at http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/index.htm.

Personal Independence Payment

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that personal independence payment assessments are undertaken fairly and efficiently.

Sarah Newton: We are committed to ensuring claimants receive high quality, objective assessments. The Department holds regular performance meetings with Providers at local and senior levels. Assessments are independently audited and Departmental clinicians periodically observe assessments. Both providers have increased personalised clinical support to all Health Professionals.

Maternity Leave

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen maternity protections for women with (a) casual and (b) zero hours employment contracts.

Kit Malthouse: There are two maternity payments available to pregnant working women depending on their circumstances. Statutory Maternity Pay paid by employers to qualifying employed women; and Maternity Allowance paid by the Department for Work and Pensions, to eligible women including those employed women who cannot get SMP and the self-employed. The qualifying rules for Maternity Allowance are based on a woman’s recent record of employment or self-employment and her earnings regardless of the type of employment contract she may have. The rules are more flexible than those for Statutory Maternity Pay and do not require a continuous employment record. Providing a woman has worked for 26 weeks out of the 66 weeks immediately preceding the week her baby is due, she may qualify for Maternity Allowance. Women can qualify with a mixture of casual, fixed term and zero hours employment, as well as periods of self-employment or unemployment. The flexibilities within existing maternity provisions aim to enable as many working women as possible to stop work in the interest of her health and that of her baby whilst maintaining a balance with the needs of employers. Currently there are no plans to introduce any legislative changes in this area.

Home Office

Counter-terrorism

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce a new CONTEST strategy.

Mr Ben Wallace: In the Prime Minister’s speech of 4th June 2017 (‘Enough is Enough’) she outlined the Government’s commitment to review the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST), drawing on lessons learned from the attacks in London and Manchester earlier this year. As the threat we face from terrorism becomes more complex, our strategy needs to evolve with it. We will publish our updated CONTEST strategy in the coming weeks.

Deportation

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the target was for the removal of immigrants from (a) Scotland and (b) Northern Ireland in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Deportation: Standards

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets her Department had for the removal of refused applicants for Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visas in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15, (f) 2015-16, (g) 2016-17 and (h) 2017-18.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Deportation: Standards

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets her Department has had in each year since 2010-11 for the removal of applicants who have been refused Tier 1 Investor visas.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Deportation: Standards

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets her Department has had in each year since 2010-11 for the removal of applicants who have been refused Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visas.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Deportation: Standards

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets her Department has had in each year since 2010-11 for the removal of applicants who have been refused Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visas.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Deportation: Standards

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets her Department had for the removal of refused applicants for Tier 2 (General) visas in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15, (f) 2015-16, (g) 2016-17 and (h) 2017-18.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Deportation: Standards

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets her Department had for the removal of refused applicants for Tier 4 (Student) visas in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15, (f) 2015-16, (g) 2016-17 and (h) 2017-18.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Deportation: Standards

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets her Department has had in each year since 2010-11 for the removal of applicants who have been refused settlement visas.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Undocumented Migrants: Deportation

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what Ministerial (a) involvement, (b) agreement and (c) direction there was in the setting of removal targets in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Undocumented Migrants: Deportation

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department first introduced removal targets; and if she will publish her Department's removal targets by (a) year and (b) region.

Caroline Nokes: My Department’s approach is set out in Sir Philip Rutnam’s letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, dated 14 May 2018 that I deposited in the House Library.

Slavery: Victims

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans for the regulations on identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery under s50 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to be open to public consultation.

Victoria Atkins: Section 50 of the Modern Slavery Act confers a power on the Home Secretary to make regulations on identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery. The Act does not require the regulations to be subject to a public consultation prior to being laid before parliament.The regulations are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure, this will provide parliamentarians, from both Houses, with an opportunity to scrutinise and debate the contents of the regulations.

Migrant Workers: NHS Trusts

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many tier 2 visas were awarded to NHS Trusts or other bodies which are registered sponsors in each month from December 2016 until April 2018.

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many tier 2 visas were declined or deferred to NHS Trusts or other bodies which are licensed sponsors in each month from December 2016 until April 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The specific information requested is not included in statistics published by the Home Office. The number of Tier 2 visas awarded to licensed sponsors can be found on the Home Office website. Published data on Tier 2 visas can be found in the immigration statistics release.The available published Tier 2 information relates to outcomes (grants, refusals, withdrawn, lapsed) of visa applications, broken down by visa type (including Tier 2 skilled visas) and is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1, table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017.

Undercover Policing Inquiry

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Strategic Review of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of appointing a panel of advisers prior to the commencement of Module 1 hearings.

Mr Nick Hurd: Prior to the publication of the Strategic Review by Sir John Mitting on 10 May 2018, consideration was given to the appointment of panel members to the Undercover Policing Inquiry. A decision was taken by the previous Home Secretary to continue with a single Chair and to keep the inclusion of panel members under review as the Inquiry progresses.

Home Office: Written Questions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to Question 130114, on counter-terrorism, tabled by the Hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley, on 27 February 2018.

Mr Ben Wallace: As the threat we face from terrorism becomes more complex, our CONTEST strategy needs to evolve with it. We have undertaken a comprehensive review of the strategy and we will publish our new strategy shortly.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April to Question 135259, on Members: Correspondence, when she plans to respond to the letter of 28 March 2018 from the hon. Member for Croydon North on a visa enquiry on behalf of a constituent.

Caroline Nokes: I apologise for the delay in responding. An interim response was sent to your office on 15 May and a substantive response will be provided once the Home Office have concluded their investigations.

Refugees: Syria

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding the family reunion scheme for Syrian refugees.

Caroline Nokes: Syrian Refugees in the UK have the same family reunion rights as all those granted refugee leave or humanitarian protection in the UK. Our Refugee Family Reunion rules are consistent for all nationalities.Our family reunion policy allows immediate pre-flight family members of those granted protection here to reunite with Refugees in the UK. The Immigration Rules also provide for relatives with protection in the UK to sponsor children in serious and compelling circumstances. In addition, there is provision in the policy to grant visas outside the Rules in exceptional circumstances, which caters for extended family members who otherwise do not qualify under the Rules, for example, those fleeing conflict zones such as Syria who are unable to live safely anywhere else. All those granted family reunion visas have the right to work, study and to access benefits.We are listening carefully to concerns raised on this issue and are currently reviewing our approach to family reunion as part of the Government’s wider asylum and resettlement strategy. We continue to follow the passage of two Private Members’ Bills on refugee family reunion closely and will continue our productive discussions in this area.

Drugs: Postal Services

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will made an assessment of the potential merits of deploying canine detection units at Post Office depots to detect the shipment of drugs from online vendors.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force Central Region Canine Detection units in conjunction with Heathrow’s unit regularly deploy to both postal depots at Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre and Coventry. The dogs deployed are trained on Drugs, Cash, Tobacco and Firearms

British Nationality: Disqualification

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing British citizenship from people convicted of serious crimes who obtained British citizenship as a second nationality.

Caroline Nokes: Section 40 of the British Nationality Act 1981 allows for the deprivation of citizenship where it is conducive to the public good. This includes instances where the individual has conducted themselves in a manner that is seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the UK; for example, being convicted of serious criminality.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy that EU citizens who have indefinite leave to remain will have to apply for settled status.

Caroline Nokes: EU citizens with indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK will not need to apply for UK settled status once the UK has left the European Union (EU). Their incumbent rights and privileges will not be affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.However, where such individuals are also covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, they might find it useful to apply to the EU Exit Settlement Scheme to obtain updated documentation which they can use to demonstrate their rights. There will be no application fee for settled status where an applicant has documentary evidence that they have valid indefinite leave to remain.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Incentives

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Mr Shailesh Vara: As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, departments publish annual information on the number of awards and spend on end-year and in-year Non-Consolidated Performance Related Pay. The information for my Department for the years 2012-13 to 2015-16 can be found at:2012-13https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-consolidated-performance-related-payments-ncprps-2012-to-20132013-14https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-consolidated-performance-related-payments-ncprps-2013-to-20142014-15https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-consolidated-performance-related-payments-ncprps-2014-to-20152015-16https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-consolidated-performance-related-payments-ncprps-2015-to-20162016-17Information has not yet been published for this year, however four bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at my Department with a total cost of £45,000.2017-18Decisions on bonuses for the most recent year have not yet been taken.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Members

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2018 to Question 140646 on Northern Ireland Assembly: Members, if she will place copies of the representations she received from political parties in Northern Ireland in the Library before Thursday 24 May 2018.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Any representations made to the Secretary of State by political parties regarding the salaries and allowances for Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly will be published by the Northern Ireland Office in due course, subject to any necessary redaction of sensitive or personal data.

Treasury

Individual Savings Accounts

Mr Chris Leslie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the number of people that would invest in a Lifetime ISA; how many people have invested in a Lifetime ISA; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of closing the Lifetime ISA to new entrants.

John Glen: The Lifetime ISA was introduced in 2017 to encourage younger people to get into the habit of saving for the long term. The Tax Information and Impact Note for the Lifetime LISA estimated over 200,000 accounts would be opened in the first year. Initial reports to HMRC for the 2017/18 tax year show approximately 170,000 accounts were opened. We expect the final figure for 2017/18 to change as a result of the receipt of late or amended returns from providers. The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review. Where appropriate, future changes may be made through the annual Budget process.

Individual Savings Accounts

Mr Chris Leslie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) potential merits of the introduction of an ISA dashboard.

John Glen: The Government notes the Association of Accounting Technicians Individual Savings Account Working Group’s proposals regarding ISAs, including the introduction of an ISA dashboard. The Chancellor of the Exchequer keeps all tax policy under review and information provided to us is considered as part of this process.

Revenue and Customs: Closures

Ian C. Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which HM Revenue and Customs offices have closed since 2010.

Mel Stride: Since 2010, HM Revenue and Customs have closed 237 offices. These are detailed in the attached table.



table of office closures 
(Word Document, 31.69 KB)

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the risk to the financial services sector in the event that the UK does not secure an adequacy decision on data.

John Glen: As a result of the significant progress made in March’s negotiations, we are increasingly confident that we will secure a deal with the EU and that the prospect of leaving negotiations with ‘no deal’ has receded significantly.However, a responsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached.That is exactly what we are doing across the whole of Government, including on data protection.The Government will continue to engage with businesses including in the financial services sector to understand the how they would operate under a range of outcomes on data protection.

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effect of leaving the EU on Euro clearing.

John Glen: The UK’s Central Counterparties (CCPs) play a crucial role in supporting economic growth in the UK, EU, and across the world. Any EU decision that would prevent EU firms from accessing UK CCPs would fragment global markets and reduce economic efficiencies for clearing members, disproportionally affecting EU firms. As previously stated by the Chancellor during Treasury Oral questions on 25 October 2016, the jobs attached to euro-denominated clearing constitute a relatively low part of the total employment in the financial sector. However, given their central position in the international financial system and their potentially systemic nature, deep supervisory cooperation and clear coordination is essential. As the Chancellor set out in March this year, we are seeking a future partnership in financial services as part of a wide-ranging Free Trade Agreement.

*No heading*

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the uncertainty around the UK's immigration policy after it leaves the EU on the ability of the UK financial services industry to recruit European workers.

John Glen: We recognise that access to talent is critical for a globally competitive financial services sector. The transition period means there will be no substantive change to the way the financial services industry is able to hire EU workers before 2021, and all EU nationals arriving in the transition period will be able to remain in the UK if they apply for leave to remain and will be granted settled status after five years’ lawful residence. The Government wants to ensure that decisions on the future immigration system are based on evidence and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, which is why the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been commissioned to complete a detailed assessment of the role of EU migration in the UK economy. The MAC will report in September 2018, after which the Government will be in a better position to clarify the UK’s immigration policy.

Immigrants: Caribbean

Daniel Zeichner: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has allocated additional funding for the Windrush generation taskforce.

Elizabeth Truss: The Home Office has already established and resourced the Windrush taskforce. This dedicated team is already helping the people affected evidence their right to be here and to access the necessary services. The Home Office is continuing to work through the detail of any other potential costs to the department.

Child Benefit: Apprentices

Giles Watling: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to allow low income families to continue claiming child benefit if their child undertakes an apprenticeship.

Giles Watling: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to make low income families eligible for child tax credits if their child undertakes an apprenticeship.

Elizabeth Truss: Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit support parents with the extra costs of raising a child. Both are payable for children until 31st August following their 16th birthday. After this, the young person must satisfy additional conditions: they must remain in full-time, non-advanced education up to and including A-level/GNVQ level 3, or equivalent, or they must be undertaking a course of approved training. If a young person is undertaking a paid apprenticeship, or they are in training or education by virtue of a contract of employment, the family is no longer eligible.

Local Government Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Questions 245 to 259 of his evidence to the Treasury Committee on 25 April 2018 on local authorities, how he defines the term at risk.

Elizabeth Truss: The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government considers a wide range of information around individual local authorities in order to form judgements about the scale of challenge they may face. An at risk local authority is one where it is judged that, in the near future, the local authority may not be able to continue to deliver a consistent quality of service across a range of priorities. This can be due to a range of pressures, including financial.

EU Grants and Loans

Jo Platt: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on establishing a UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Elizabeth Truss: Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, we will launch the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The fund will support all parts of the UK to achieve sustainable, inclusive growth, based on the Industrial Strategy. The Industrial Strategy White Paper set out that we intend to consult this year on the precise design and priorities for the fund. Further decisions on the final design of the fund will be made following this consultation.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Press Recognition Panel

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to abolish the press recognition panel.

Margot James: The Press Recognition Panel remains an important part of the regulatory framework.

Sports: Disability

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Sport England on progress in increasing disability participation in (a) sport and (b) shooting.

Michael Ellis: I have regular meetings with Sport England to discuss increasing disabled people’s participation in sport and physical activity as participants, spectators and in the workforce. The importance of increasing participation by underrepresented groups was highlighted in our strategy 'Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation' which was published in December 2015. Sport England’s strategy ‘Towards an Active Nation’ also places a clear emphasis on targeting those who are hardest to reach, including disabled people. As such, they are ensuring that each of their investment programmes impacts directly on disabled people. For the financial year 2017/2018 Sport England invested £1.2 million into the English Federation of Disability Sport, now known as the Activity Alliance, to provide expertise and services in marketing and communications, research and insight, and engaging with disabled people and the disability sector. In addition, all of Sport England’s major capital investments are required to make their facilities accessible, and Sport England publish online tools and guidance to help designers, building owners and operators create accessible facilities. Government recognises the value of shooting as an outdoor recreation and is keen to ensure that everyone who wants to be involved has the opportunity to do so. Between 2017 and 2021, Sport England is investing £1,290,000 in British Shooting to continue to support more people to get involved in shooting sports and to develop talented athletes within the sport. The investment has also supported British Shooting to integrate Disability Shooting GB into its own governance and operation from April 2017.

Commonwealth Games: Gun Sports

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Commonwealth Games Federation on the participation of Britain's elite shots in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Tracey Crouch: In 2015, at the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly, the entire Commonwealth of Nations made the decision for shooting to be an optional sport at all Commonwealth Games. This was reaffirmed in 2016 when the new CGF Constitution was approved. Its status as an optional sport is not, therefore, a decision for UK government.

Insurance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Data Protection Bill on the ability of insurance companies to verify claims made on individual insurance applications.

Margot James: The Government has engaged with a number of representatives from the insurance sector, sector regulators and other government departments to understand the impact of the General Data Protection Regulations on the sector, and how best to design the derogations found in the Data Protection Bill. Insurance sector representatives were particularly concerned about the implications of the general prohibition on processing special categories of data and criminal conviction and offences data found in Article 9 and 10 of the GDPR. Paragraph 20 of Schedule 1, to the Data Protection Bill, ensures that insurance companies can process special category data and criminal conviction and offences data for insurance purposes. It is the responsibility of each organisation to ensure their compliance with the GDPR which comes into effect on 25 May 2018. The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has provided guidance on compliance with the new data protection rules on its website at;www.ico.org.uk.

Comcast

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to take account of Comcast’s existing interests in news outlets in the UK, its reciprocal arrangement with ITN, the distribution of CNBC and its significant equity interests in Euronews, Buzzfeed and Vox Media when assessing the effect of its bid for Sky on media plurality in the UK.

Matt Hancock: The Secretary of State has powers to intervene in certain transactions involving media enterprises when any of the considerations specified in the Enterprise Act 2002 are relevant. The decision to intervene is quasi-judicial and must be taken independently based on all relevant evidence available. Any transaction will be looked at on its merits, on a case-by-case basis. Due to the quasi-judicial nature of the decision, it would be inappropriate to comment further in relation to any specific transaction.

UK City of Culture

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for bids to be received for the UK City of Culture 2025.

Michael Ellis: We will publish details of the next UK City of Culture competition, including updated guidance for bidding cities, on Gov.uk in due course.​

Wembley Stadium

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the potential sale of Wembley Stadium on participation rates in (a) association football and (b) American football.

Tracey Crouch: My Department, along with Sport England and the Greater London Authority will be discussing the potential sale of Wembley stadium with the Football Association over the course of this month. We will be seeking further detail on how such a deal would help the development of the grassroots game in this country and support more people to participate in sport.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Employment Agencies

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many investigations have taken place in each of the last five years relating to alleged breaches of Regulation 7 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003; and how many prosecutions there have been under that regulation in that same period.

Andrew Griffiths: In the last five years, the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate have investigated six complaints regarding non-compliance with regulation 7 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (as amended), broken down as follows: Financial Year 17/18: 3Financial Year 16/17: 0Financial Year 15/16: 0Financial Year 14/15: 3Financial Year 13/14: 0 For the Financial Year 18/19, there have been no complaints regarding non-compliance with regulation 7 to date. There have been no prosecutions brought by EAS in relation to these investigations.  EAS seeks to raise awareness about the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations (2003), engaging with agencies to ensure compliance with the legislation. As part of this, EAS has carried out over 200 targeted inspections since 2016. EAS continues to handle a high number of complaints about non-payment or with-holding of pay and has helped secure over £1.4m for work seekers since 2008/9.

Hitachi

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) guarantees and (b) other financial incentives have been promised to Hitachi Ltd for the construction of new nuclear power stations in the UK.

Richard Harrington: The Government remains committed to decarbonising our economy and last September we published our Clean Growth Strategy which set out a range of actions Government is taking. New nuclear has a crucial role to play as we seek to transition to a low carbon society. Government regularly engages with developers in the UK including Hitachi regarding the construction of a new nuclear power station. These commercial discussions are ongoing and no final decisions have been made. These discussions are commercially sensitive.

Tata Steel: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with trade unions representing Tata Steel employees on Tata Steel's announcement on 8 May 2018 that it plans to sell its Engineering Steels Service Centre in Wolverhampton.

Richard Harrington: Ministers and officials regularly engage with trade unions to discuss a range of issues concerning the steel sector. With regards to their announcement on the 8th May, Tata Steel have been clear that they will act as a responsible seller. The UK steel industry sits entirely within the private sector, and whilst the sale of its Engineering Steels Service Centre in Wolverhampton is a commercial decision for Tata, we will continue to work closely with them, the unions, and any new partners.

Energy Ombudsman

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the remit of the Energy Ombudsman to cover energy brokers as well as suppliers.

Claire Perry: The Ombudsman Service: Energy is an independent, not-for-profit company. It has been approved by Ofgem to provide a redress service for domestic and micro business consumers when they are unable to resolve a complaint with their licensed energy supplier, gas transmission or electricity distribution companies. The Ombudsman Service is already able to offer a redress service in unlicensed energy sectors, including energy brokerage.

Business: Government Assistance

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support businesses and entrepreneurs.

Andrew Griffiths: We know how vital businesses are to the UK economy. So we will continue to work hard to support everyone who wants to start and grow their own business. Through our Industrial Strategy we aim to make Britain the best place to start and grow a business. We want to ensure small business owners have access to the support they need to start, grow and export. The Business Support Helpline, GOV.UK and a network of 38 Growth Hubs across England provide access to information, advice and support business growth. We are developing an Export Strategy to support businesses to access international markets. For Small & Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) looking to export, UK export finance will announce a new guarantee to banks designed to increase the flow of money in the supply chain. We also want small businesses to have the access to finance they need to grow. So we are helping through the British Business Bank which supports over £4bn of finance to over 65,000 UK SMEs. This includes delivering 54,000 Start-Up Loans worth £400m since 2012. Going forward we plan to unlock over £20bn of investment in innovative and high potential businesses, including establishing a new £2.5bn investment fund within the Bank. Tackling late payments and ensuring small businesses have access to government contracts are also important issues we are working to address. The Small Business Commissioner will help with payment issues, dispute resolution and sourcing advice across the UK. And we are opening up public procurement to SMEs, with a commitment to one pound in every three of central government spend going to SMEs by 2022.We have launched a review into what actions could be most effective in improving productivity and growth of SMEs in what has been called the ‘long tail’ of lower productivity firms. We will carry on focusing on the needs of businesses through the delivery of our Industrial Strategy and as we work to secure the best and most ambitious Brexit deal for the whole of the United Kingdom.

Tumble Dryers: Fire Hazards

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Office for Product and Safety and Standards has taken steps in response to the Which? investigation which claimed some retailers are providing incorrect and unsafe advice on fire-risk tumble dryers.

Andrew Griffiths: Ensuring that consumers have access to information on the safety of products is a key priority for the Office for Product Safety and Standards and for this Department. In light of the claims made by Which?, I wrote to the British Retail Consortium on 1st May to ask them to raise the issue of consumer advice with all their members and to provide reassurance that their customer advice arrangements are fit for purpose and they are giving correct advice on safety. I also met with senior executives of Whirlpool on 1st May and have asked them to investigate the claims and take appropriate action to ensure that consumers receive the correct safety advice.

Office for Product Safety and Standards

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for the publication of​ the strategy for the Office of Product Safety and Standards.

Andrew Griffiths: The Office for Product Safety and Standards is committed to ensuring that its approach to regulatory activities is transparent and it will be publishing its strategy for product safety before the Summer.

Hitachi

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to develop a new power generating plant with Hitachi; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Government remains committed to decarbonising our economy and last September we published our Clean Growth Strategy which set out a range of actions Government is taking. New nuclear has a crucial role to play as we seek to transition to a low carbon society. Government regularly engages with developers in the UK including Hitachi regarding the construction of a new nuclear power station. These commercial discussions are ongoing and no final decisions have been made. These discussions are commercially sensitive.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing Associations: Affordable Housing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of housing association properties that are rented at a level above the Government's definition of affordable.

Dominic Raab: The Affordable Homes Programme is only available to fund properties that will be available for affordable housing, either for rent or for sale.The Statistical Data Return for 2016-17 published by the Regulator of Social Housing shows that there were 52,379 non-social rented homes owned by private registered providers of social housing (many of which are housing associations). This category encompasses all rented properties belonging to private registered providers that do not meet the definition of social housing. This figure does not include properties that are owned by housing associations' unregistered subsidiaries. The Statistical Data Return is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistical-data-return-statistical-releases.

Solar Power

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing rights to light for solar generation.

Dominic Raab: The Government has not assessed the potential merits of introducing rights to light for solar generation technology. The planning system can already take into account whether a proposed development would have an unreasonable impact on the light enjoyed by neighbouring properties, in terms of its impact on living conditions.The Government believes that sufficient protection is already afforded to existing solar arrays by the planning system which can take into account whether a proposed development would have an unreasonable impact on the light enjoyed by neighbouring properties, in terms of its impact on living conditions.

Non-domestic Rates: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the number of businesses which have benefited from small business rate relief in (a) Mansfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands in each of the last five years.

Rishi Sunak: The number of properties, which the VOA terms 'hereditaments' in the Mansfield District Council area who have benefitted from small business rate relief as at the 31 December in each of the last 5 years can be found at the following links. The data are as reported by the local authority on their NNDR1 return. Comparisons between 2015 and 2016 should not be made as the qualifying thresholds for the relief changed.31 December 2017: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/684809/1819_NNDR1_Supplementary_table_web.xlsx31 December 2016: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/625980/1718_NNDR1_Supplementary_table.xlsx31 December 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/574277/NNDR1_Supplementary_tables_web.xlsx31 December 2014: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418000/Final_Published_Supplementary_tables_1516_v2.xlsx31 December 2013: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/381055/Supplementary_tables_1415.xlsxFigures are not published for Nottinghamshire and East Midlands, but data for authorities in these areas are published in these supplementary tables.

Construction: Regulations

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance to planning authorities on the specification of illegal glass units into windows in historic buildings and Conservation Areas in breach of construction products regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Buildings that are listed or in a conservation area may be subject to specific local policies in relation to replacement windows, and enquiries should be made to the local planning authority in each case. General guidance on planning considerations for conservation areas can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/conserving-and-enhancing-the-historic-environment. Replacement windows also need to comply with relevant Building Regulations’ requirements. Guidance on complying with relevant Building Regulations’ requirements can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/approved-documents.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2018 to Question 135932, if he will publish in full the performance reviews of each Local Enterprise Partnership.

Jake Berry: The Public Accounts Committee published its report into governance and departmental oversight of the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership on 16 March 2018. The report made five recommendations, one of which was for the Department to write to the Committee setting out the results of its compliance checks and Annual Conversations and for these results to be published. The Treasury Minute setting out the Department’s response to the Committee’s recommendations will be published by the end of May and will include information on the Department’s plans to publish the findings of its annual assurance process.

*No heading*

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Government departments and their agencies release land for the provision of new homes.

Dominic Raab: All land-owning departments and arms-length bodies are required to take steps to regularly review their estates and delivery plans to identify land suitable for disposal, including for housing use, via the Public Land for Housing programme.Release of land contributes to the Government's target of building 300,000 homes annually by the mid 2020s. Not all central government land is suitable for housing, but may be suitable for other operational purposes, such as new health facilities or schools.

Building Regulations: Fire Prevention

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment his Department has made of standards for fire safety and building regulations in other countries.

Dominic Raab: The Government is committed to learning from the terrible tragedy of Grenfell Tower so that nothing like this can ever happen again.As such, officials in my Department have considered fire safety and regulations in other countries as part of the wilder policy response and advice for the Hackitt Review, which forms part of the Government response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Local Government: Devolution

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the framework for bids for further devolution from areas that do not have a devolution agreement.

Jake Berry: The Government’s manifesto committed to "providing clarity across England on what devolution means for different administrations so all authorities operate in a common framework". We aim to be able to provide local areas with this clarity on how best to take forward their devolution and local growth ambitions over the coming months.

Coastal Communities Fund: Fisheries

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the coastal communities fund that has been awarded to the fishing sector over the four funding rounds completed to date.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to increase the proportion of the coastal communities fund which is awarded to the fishing sector.

Jake Berry: The Coastal Communities Fund is a competitive bid-led UK-wide programme which does not pre-allocate a specific proportion of funds for any category of project. There are no plans to change this.In the first four rounds of the Coastal Communities Fund a total of 18 grants worth £9.73 million were awarded to fisheries related projects across the UK. These accounted for approximately 6 per cent of the Fund's total allocated expenditure.Each application is considered on its individual merits against the Fund’s main outcome to support growth and jobs in coastal communities.

Ministry of Defence

Saudi Arabia: Air Force

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of Royal Air Force personnel serving in Saudi Arabia in each of the last five years.

Guto Bebb: The majority of RAF personnel working in Saudi Arabia are employed by the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) or on secondment with BAe Systems. There is no cost to the public purse for these individuals. There are other personnel where costs fall to the public purse, however, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department when procuring services from external suppliers measures the risk of human trafficking taking place during the provision of such services; and what plans his Department has to reduce that risk.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence takes a robust approach towards ensuring no service contract suppliers have been prosecuted for involvement in human trafficking or any other offences falling under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.All suppliers must confirm they have no convictions under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to remain eligible to compete for the delivery of Defence service contracts.

Military Aircraft

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which types of aircraft and how many of each type are in (a) the forward fleet, (b) sustainment and (c) storage.

Guto Bebb: The Forward Fleet comprises serviceable and short term unserviceable aircraft. The Sustainment Fleet is also included below. The number of aircraft available varies day-to-day according to normal fleet management activities. Figures for fixed and rotary wing aircraft as at 1 April 2018 are given in the table below. They exclude contractor provided aircraft fleets with the exception of Voyager which is included for completeness. Fixed Wing AircraftAircraftServiceForward FleetSustainment FleetTotalAir SeekerRAF213Atlas A400MRAF14418Bae 146RAF314C-17 GlobemasterRAF718C-130J HerculesRAF14418Hawk T1RAF/RN394382Hawk T2RAF20828King Air 350RAF123LightningRAF15015ReaperRAF7310SentinelRAF325SentryRAF336ShadowRAF415 TornadoRAF221840TucanoRAF242751TyphoonRAF9447141VoyagerRAF819AvengerRN404DefenderArmy729Islander AL Mk 1Army213 Rotary Wing AircraftAircraftServiceForward FleetSustainment FleetTotalChinookRAF411960PumaRAF16723DauphinRN202CHF MerlinRN111425Merlin Mk2RN25530Sea King Mk 7RN707Wildcat HMA Mk2RN24428Apache AHArmy42850Gazelle AHArmy19726Wildcat AHArmy241034 Gliders Vigilant15Viking73 Note: The RAF does not differentiate between Forward and Sustainment fleets of the Vigilant and Viking aircraft. Vigilant was withdrawn from service on 6 May 2018.

Armed Forces Day: Scarborough

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will support the bid by Scarborough to host Armed Forces Day in 2019.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Armed Forces Day provides an opportunity for the nation to show their support for the Armed Forces. Events are community-led and can come in many different forms, from the National Event through to local events organised by councils, ex-service organisations, community groups and schools. These events can be followed on Twitter using #SaluteOurForces.The Department has received a number of bids to host the 2019 National Event, including from Scarborough Borough Council. Defence officials are now engaged in a selection process to determine which candidate location is best placed to bring together the whole nation in celebrating our Armed Forces in 2019.

Armed Forces: Housing

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his policy to guarantee state subsidy of rent for tenants of service family accommodation after 2021.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence provides Service personnel and their families with subsidised accommodation in recognition of their inherently mobile lifestyles and frequently remote bases. We remain committed to our personnel, and Service accommodation charges are, and will continue to be, subsidised for Service personnel and their families.

Qatar: Hawk Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Defence Procurement of 23 April, Official Report, column 593, what progress has been made on Qatar’s order of the Hawk aircraft.

Guto Bebb: Her Majesty's Government is continuing to work closely with BAE Systems and the Qatari government to finalise details of the Typhoon contract which was agreed on 10 December 2017. The package also includes the procurement of Hawk aircraft. It would be inappropriate to comment any further at this stage as to do so would prejudice commercial interests.

Defence: Procurement

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 23 April, Official Report, column 582, when he plans to look at the whole defence procurement argument with regard to the real benefits to UK plc.

Guto Bebb: The Refreshed Defence Industrial Policy, published on 20 December 2017, outlined the importance that we attach to maintaining a thriving and globally competitive defence sector, and to building UK economic value. To support this, the Defence Secretary announced in March 2018 that he had invited the hon. Member for Ludlow (Philip Dunne) to carry out an external review of how Defence contributes to UK prosperity. This will look at the full range of defence activities, including procurement.

Armed Forces: Schools

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 136840 on Armed Forces: Schools, who commissioned the study on the merits of military ethos in schools.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 136840 on Armed Forces: Schools, what discussions he has had with cabinet colleagues on the commissioning of the study on the merits of military ethos in schools.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: This study is being completed by the right hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr Robert Goodwill). The Government welcomes Mr Goodwill's focus on this area and the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education will provide relevant support as requested by Mr Goodwill. We look forward to reading the report when it is completed.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Apprentices

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what levels of apprenticeships are offered by his Department; and how many apprenticeship starts there were at each level in each of the last three years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office offers a range of intermediate level modern apprenticeships. In each of the years 2016/17 and 2017/18, we had one modern apprentice. In 2018/19 to date, there are currently two modern apprentices.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Israel

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what opportunities he has identified for further trade cooperation with Israel once the UK is no longer party to the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Greg Hands: As we leave the European Union, we are seeking to replicate our existing EU free trade agreements and other EU preferential arrangements, so as to ensure continuity in our trade and investment relationships with third countries.The Prime Minister met the Israeli Prime Minister in February 2017 and agreed to establish a joint trade working group. In March 2017, my noble friend, the then Minister of State for Trade Policy (Lord Price CVO), visited Israel to chair the first meeting of the working group, which is continuing to make positive progress towards ensuring a smooth transition.The UK and Israel have an important trading relationship, which we are committed to strengthening through our dedicated trade promotion team at our Embassy in Israel.

Trade Agreements

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department plans to use bilateral trade negotiations as an opportunity to reduce modern slavery by proposing the inclusion in trade agreements of provisions on that issue; and whether the Government plans to implement indices and metrics to monitor changes in the risk of modern slavery taking place in that context.

Greg Hands: The UK is committed to working with international partners and businesses to tackle modern slavery in global supply chains. It is vital that increased trade is not based on the exploitation and abuse of workers. We will be considering what further steps we may be able to take, to prevent modern slavery, through our future trade policy.We are in the process of developing our approach to impact assessments (IAs), pertaining to new future trade agreements. The approach will be consistent with the Government’s current impact assessment process for new legislation, which considers environmental and social impacts where appropriate.

Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to assist SMEs to prepare for the UK leaving the EU; and what steps his Department is taking to help SMEs scale-up to increase (a) exports and (b) global trade.

Graham Stuart: I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to the Hon Member for Carshalton and Wallington on 27 April 2018: UIN: 136727.

China and India: Trade Agreements

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had on future trade agreements with (a) China and (b) India.

Greg Hands: The UK is preparing to strengthen its trade ties with international partners, including China and India post EU-exit.The UK and China are launching a Joint Trade and Investment Review to explore options to enhance their trade and investment relationship, without pre-judging outcomes. My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade, has visited China three times in 2018 to discuss our ambition for a strong trade partnership.The UK-India Joint Trade Review, announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to India in 2016, has helped us better understand the UK-India trade relationship. In April, both Prime Ministers agreed to forge a new trade partnership, to take forward recommendations from the Review. My Rt Hon. Friend also visited India shortly after the Department for International Trade was formed.

Trade Agreements

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many times each of the trade working groups have met.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish a list of the (a) dates and (b) attendees of each meeting of each trade working group.

Greg Hands: We have established several working groups with trading partners to explore the best ways of progressing our trade and investment relationships.In line with diplomatic practices, it would not be appropriate to take unilateral decisions on disclosing detailed information on engagements with our trading partners. Individual announcements and statements are available on the department’s website.

Trade Agreements

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of seeking the establishment of a role for Parliament in overseeing the work of the trade working groups.

Greg Hands: The UK remains committed to a transparent, fair, and rules-based approach to international trade. The Government will continue to respect the role of Parliament, as it designs its future trade policy and will bring forward proposals on the role of Parliament and others in due course.

Department for International Trade: Apprentices

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what levels of apprenticeships are offered by his Department; and how many apprenticeship starts there were at each level in each of the last three years.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) was formed in July 2016. DIT has up to this point offered apprenticeships at levels 3 and 4. Since July 2016, DIT has had the following apprenticeship starts:2016: 22 Level 3 apprenticeship starts2017: 17 Level 4 apprenticeship starts, 8 Level 3 apprenticeship starts2018: 2 Level 4 apprenticeship starts (11 Level 4, 4 Level 3 and 1 Level 5 starts are still planned for 2018)

Philippines: Foreign Relations

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the objectives were of the meeting he held with President Duterte on 3 April 2017.

Graham Stuart: The UK has a wide-ranging relationship with the Philippines on prosperity, education and security issues. Our bilateral trading relationship is strong; we are the largest European investor in the country. As we leave the European Union we have the opportunity to enhance our global trading relationships. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State’s visit to the Philippines and meeting with President Duterte was to set out the future direction of our bilateral relationship and show UK commitment to open trade and investment, particularly with the growing economies of Southeast Asia.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the job titles are of civil servants in her Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver; and how many civil servants are so provided for.

Victoria Atkins: No civil servants in the Government Equalities Office are provided with an official car or a driver.

Department for Transport

Driving: Visual Impairment

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commission a report on the effect of driving with impaired vision on the safety of motorcyclists.

Jesse Norman: The Department has no current plans to commission a report on the effect of driving with impaired vision on the safety of motorcyclists. All drivers and riders must be able to meet the required visual acuity and visual field standards, which includes being able to read a number plate from 20 metres. Drivers are also legally responsible for notifying the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) at any time of a change in their health or vision which may affect their ability to meet the appropriate standards. The Government fully supports the NHS’s recommendation that adults should have their eyes tested every two years. The DVLA has changed its driving licence application forms to highlight the importance of having regular eyesight tests. The photo card driving licence renewal letter that the DVLA sends to drivers has also been amended to include this important message.

Shipping: Apprentices

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the time being taken to agree apprenticeships for seafarer Ratings with the Maritime Trailblazer Working Group; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The last meeting that took place between my Department’s Maritime Minister and the Department for Education’s Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships about apprenticeships was at the end of 2017 where a wide range of issues relating to apprenticeships, including maritime apprenticeships were discussed. I am intending to meet with the Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships at the Department for Education to discuss apprenticeships again in the near future and my officials are in regular dialogue with the sector and the Institute for Apprenticeships about all issues relating to maritime apprenticeships. I understand from officials that the Institute for Apprenticeships have recently implemented changes to the approval process intended to make it simpler and speedier and have set themselves a target of 12 months to get apprenticeships approved by. The Government values apprenticeships as a route to obtaining the skills needed for the future workforce. The Department is also leading the Government’s Year of Engineering campaign, which is committed to boosting engineering skills across the UK.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the criteria are for activating an average speed monitored stretch of motorway; what measures are in place to (a) prevent an artificially low speed limit being implemented and (b) ensure that an average speed limit camera check is in place for no longer than necessary; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 14 May 2018



Average speed cameras are only used on motorways through roadworks for the safety of those travelling and working on the road. These limits are normally set at 50mph in accordance with published standards and in agreement with the police. Highways England can increase this speed limit to 55 mph or 60 mph where it is safe to do so. These speed restrictions are lifted once the roadworks are completed. Highways England uses variable speed limits on smart motorways to manage traffic flows at busy times and in response to incidents on the network. A system of road sensors is used to detect actual vehicle speeds and the rate of flow of traffic on a motorway. Based on this information an algorithm is used to determine whether a reduced speed limit is required in order to maintain safety or optimise traffic flow. The algorithm works out the optimum speed for traffic by comparing the observed vehicle speed and traffic flow against the historical norm for a particular stretch of road. The automated system then activates the reduced speed limit at a level that will maintain safety and allow traffic to flow as freely as possible. Speed limits are set to 40mph to maintain safety when a slow moving or stopped vehicle is detected and are set to 50 or 60 mph to optimise traffic flow based on a number of factors detected by the sensors, including average speed, flow rate and traffic density. The algorithm ensures that speed limits are returned to 70 mph as soon as the detected traffic parameters indicate that this can be done safely. Highways England traffic operations staff are also able to activate or deactivate variable speed limits manually based on observed traffic patterns should this be required. These measures ensure that automated variable speed limits are set appropriately and that variable speed limits do not remain in place for longer than is necessary. Highways England routinely monitors, reviews and learns lessons on the performance of variable speed limits on smart motorway schemes to ensure that the speed limits that are set are appropriate for the traffic conditions.

Motor Vehicles: Licensing and Testing

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to exempt small not-for-profit community groups from proposed additional licensing and vehicle testing conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Department’s consultation on how Regulation 1071/2009 applies to permits under the Transport Act 1985 has now closed and over 500 responses have been received. The Department will analyse the responses fully and provide a summary response before summer recess. The consultation included a potential exemption relating to operators that may have minimal impact owing to the short distances involved.

Driving: Visual Impairment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of how many (a) accidents and (b) casualties have been caused by drivers who have (i) failed eye tests or (ii) been found to have insufficient eyesight in each year for which information is available.

Jesse Norman: The tables below shows the number of road accidents involving personal injury and road casualties in which the contributory factor of driver/rider with uncorrected, defective eyesight was reported, by severity, in Great Britain for the years 2005 to 2016. Number of accidents where a contributory factor of driver/rider with uncorrected, defective eyesight was reported1YearFatalSeriousSlightTotalPercentage of all reported accidents2200510351812260.15%20064471582090.14%20075411612070.15%200818441632250.17%20099371451910.15%20105361932340.19%20119441972500.21%20126591862510.22%20139511822420.22%20149561952600.22%201510481742320.21%20167571391930.19%1. Includes only cases where a police officer attended the scene and in which a contributory factor was reported.2. These numbers exclude cases where no contributory factor was reported. Number of casualties where a contributory factor of driver/rider with uncorrected, defective eyesight was reported1 YearKilledSeriousSlightTotalPercentage of all reported accidents2200510412933440.17%20064572433040.15%20075512443000.15%200819522583290.18%20099452142680.15%20105392863300.20%20119533013630.22%20126652793500.22%20139572613270.22%201411663073840.24%201510542813450.23%20167631822520.18%1. Includes only cases where a police officer attended the scene and in which a contributory factor was reported.2. These numbers exclude cases where no contributory factor was reported. Source: DfT STATS19 Please note that not all accidents are included in the contributory factor data. Only accidents where the police attended the scene and reported at least one contributory factor are included. A total of 73% of accidents reported to the police in 2016 met these criteria. Contributory factors (CFs for short) provide some insight into why and how road accidents occur. They are designed to give the key actions and failures that led directly to the actual impact to aid investigation of how accidents might be prevented. When police officers attend the scene of an accident, they are able to select up to six factors they believe contributed to the accident (for each vehicle and casualty involved). Please note that this does not assign blame for the accident to any specific road user, but gives an indication of which factors the attending officer thought contributed to the accident. Officers do not need to carry out a full investigation of the incident before allocating CFs; they usually use professional judgement about what they can see at the scene.

Community Transport

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Consultation on the use of section 19 and section 22 permits for road passenger transport in Great Britain, published by his Department on 8 January 2018, whether the exemptions in that consultation are intended to (a) not compel Scout groups to purchase public service vehicle licences and (b) allow them to continue using Section 19 licences when delivering services.

Jesse Norman: There is wide variation between permit holders and the work that they do which means that this Department cannot comment on individual circumstances.However, as the Honourable Member will be aware, there is an exemption for operators who have a main occupation other than that of road passenger transport.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications of recent violence in Israel and the West Bank for the peace process in that area.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned about the violence in Israel and the West Bank. The UK firmly believes that, to have the best chance of success, the Middle East Peace Process must be conducted in an atmosphere free from violence. We press the parties to refrain from rhetoric and actions which make the goal of peace harder to achieve. We call on all parties to act with restraint, reject violence, and work together to ensure calm and stability.

Palestinians: Radicalism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of trends in institutionalised radicalisation in the Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: I refer the Hon. Member to my written answer of 4 May 2018 (PQ 138445).

Israel: Gaza

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on recent renewed cross-border tunnel construction from Gaza into Israel.

Alistair Burt: We remain deeply concerned by Hamas' attempts to re-arm and rebuild militant infrastructure, including the tunnel network, in Gaza. Hamas' rearmament undermines efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harms the prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East.

Hezbollah: Weapons

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the size of Hezbollah's weapons arsenal.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned by reports that Hizballah continues to amass an arsenal of weapons in Lebanon. We condemn the threat that this poses to regional stability and the direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department raised the matter of attacks made by the Rapid Support Forces on the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North Malik Agar branch on 25 April 2018 at the most recent round of the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue in Khartoum; and whether those attacks constitute a violation of the unilateral ceasefire agreed by the Government of Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: The Fifth Round of the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue took place in Khartoum on 24 April. Discussions covered a range of issues, including the peace process. We welcomed the Government of Sudan's extension of the unilateral cessation of hostilities to 30 June 2018 and urged both the Government and rebel movements to abide by their announcements so that peace negotiations can resume in a conducive environment. A communique of the Fifth Round is available on the British Government's website.Reports of violence in Blue Nile State emerged after the Strategic Dialogue. We raised our concerns about them with the Government of Sudan on 9 May, reiterating the UK and international community's expectation that the unilateral cessations of hostilities is observed by both sides. While presenting his credentials to the President of Sudan on 14 May, the British Ambassador took the opportunity to repeat this message. Additionally, the UK Defence Attaché raised the issue with the Sudanese Armed Forces on the same date.

Israel Defense Forces: British Nationals Abroad

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of British citizens who are serving in the Israeli Defence Force.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no information on the number of British citizens serving in the Israel Defence Forces.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage all parties to participate in the peace process in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I provided on 10 May in response to Question 141307.

Saudi Arabia: Overseas Workers

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK civil servants have been working on contracts in Saudi Arabia in each of the last five years; and what the roles of those civil servants have been.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not maintain records of civil servants working in Saudi Arabia other than as members of British Diplomatic Missions.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Incentives

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Sir Alan Duncan: As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, departments publish annual information on the number of awards and spend on end-year and in-year Non-Consolidated Performance Related Pay. This information can be found on the FCO’s website - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/foreign-and-commonwealth-office-non-consolidated-performance-related-pay - and on data.gov.uk. Information for future years will be published in the usual way

Election Observers

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much was disbursed from the public purse by his Department to fund UK election observers overseas in each of the last five years.

Mark Field: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funds the participation of UK election observers in election observation missions overseas where it judges that it is in the UK national interest to do so and where it is safe to do so. Details of this expenditure are not held centrally because decisions are made by individual FCO departments. It would therefore be disproportionately costly to calculate the total amount disbursed over the past five years.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Apprentices

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what levels of apprenticeships are offered by his Department; and how many apprenticeship starts there were at each level in each of the last three years.

Sir Alan Duncan: The tables below set out the number of new 'apprenticeship starts' and the levels of apprenticeships offered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and our Trading Fund, FCO Services, in the last three years. We have no records of FCO apprenticeships in 2015-16. FCONew Apprenticeship Starts​​ Apr-15 to Mar-16Apr-16 to Mar-17Apr-17 to Mar-18Level 2No data2015Level 3No data12Level 4No data1  FCO SERVICESNew Apprenticeship Starts​​ Apr-15 to Mar-16Apr-16 to Mar-17Apr-17 to Mar-18Level 2None2NoneLevel 391021Level 4NoneNone1Level 6NoneNone4

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the financial effect on the economies of the Overseas Territories of public registers of beneficial owners of companies registered in their jurisdictions.

Sir Alan Duncan: While there is a limited evidence base at present, the FCO is working with the Overseas Territories (OTs) affected by this amendment to determine the potential financial impact. We acknowledge the concerns of the OTs that the impact could be negative.

France: British Nationals Abroad

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his Department's policy to advise British citizens living in France to obtain a Carte de Sejour.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​A Carte de Séjour is a residency document. We advise all British people overseas to ensure their documentation is up to date. British residents of France do not require a Carte de Sejour, but are entitled to one. We will continue to discuss with the French authorities the future registration requirements for those UK nationals in France covered by the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, and we will update the British community in due course.

Hungary: Press Freedom

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the EU on triggering Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty against the Government of Hungary on freedom of the press and the judiciary in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: Constitutional arrangements are primarily a matter for national governments, within the framework of international norms. British Ministers and officials discuss these matters in private with the Hungarian Government, as part of our regular dialogue, as we do with many others.

Russia: Football

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to put extra protection measures in place for England fans travelling to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government's top priority for the World Cup is the safety and security of British nationals travelling to Russia for the tournament. We are supporting the close co-operation between the UK and Russian police, and we plan to send additional staff to Russia during the tournament to support colleagues in the Embassy. A mobile embassy will move from city to city with the England team. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been working closely with the Football Supporters Federation – the largest group of England supporters – to provide practical advice for British fans of all backgrounds, including LGBT fans. We advise British nationals to do their research and be prepared for their trip. This includes signing up to our travel advice and using it to help inform their travel plans.

Russia: Football

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to issue guidance for LGBT fans travelling to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government's top priority for the World Cup is the safety and security of British nationals travelling to Russia for the tournament. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been working closely with the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) – the largest group of England supporters – to provide practical advice for British fans of all backgrounds, including LGBT fans. This includes the production of an FCO-funded FSF guide for fans that includes advice for LGBT travellers. We also have specific travel advice for LGBT travellers on the FCO Travel Advice, and have held discussions with a number of LGBT organisations. We advise British nationals to do their research and be prepared for their trip. This includes signing up to our travel advice and using it to help inform their travel plans.

Bangladesh: Human Rights

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had any recent discussions with the Government of Bangladesh with the objective of either (a) promoting the human rights of female migrant workers and (b) promoting the need for more safeguarding for female migrant workers against exploitation and trafficking; and if he will list the outcomes of recent discussions he has had with that Government.

Mark Field: The British Government works closely with the Government of Bangladesh on these critical issues. Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking were discussed at the UK-Bangladesh Strategic Dialogue, and at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, this April which Prime Minister Hasina attended. The Secretary of State for International Development, raised these issues with Government of Bangladesh and met female migrant workers when she visited Bangladesh in November 2017. Bangladesh was also among the first group of countries to endorse our Prime Minister's Call to Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking at the UN General assembly last year.The UK supports Bangladesh to provide greater access to justice for survivors of abuse and trafficking, for example through an online complaints system and legal advice. We also support the Government of Bangladesh to ensure safe migration and prevent trafficking; in December announced a £13m funding package for the second phase of the Work in Freedom programme that will continue to tackle these issues across the region.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on the responsibilities of his Department of the UK leaving the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will remain at the heart of the British Government’s efforts to strengthen ties with Europe after we leave the EU, based on our shared values and shared interests. As the Prime Minister has said ‘we are leaving the EU but we are not leaving Europe.’ That includes working closely with other Government Departments to take forward a new deep and special partnership with the EU. It also means cementing our strong bilateral relationships with the countries of Europe and our cooperation with them in other international fora.

Omar Shakir

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the deportation order against Omar Shakir the Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We have not raised this issue. It is for the Government of Israel to decide its immigration policy. The UK’s immigration policies and controls are similarly protected.

Burma: Rohingya

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Myanmar Government on the persecution of the Rohingya in the past month.

Mark Field: The UK's Permanent Representative to the United Nations made representations on the treatment of the Rohingya to senior members of Burma's Government during the UN Security Council's visit to Burma of 30 April to 1 May.The British Ambassador to Burma met Commander in Chief of Burma's military on 3 May and urged him to accept an inquiry with international involvement into the human rights violations carried out against the Rohingya of Rakhine State.The Ambassador met Burma's Minister for Social Welfare on 3 May and restated the UK's readiness to support the implementation of the Rakhine Advisory Commission's report, which includes recommendations that would address the persecution of the Rohingya in Rakhine State.The Ambassador met Burma's National Security Advisor on 4 May and encouraged Burma's Government to take steps to improve the living conditions and opportunities of the Rohingya currently resident in Internally Displaced Person camps near Sittwe, Rakhine State. He also encouraged provision of educational opportunities to ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya students on an equal basis.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Nature Conservation

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has provided in support of animal conservation projects on each continent in each of the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID supports many activities that tackle the Illegal Wildlife Trade which contribute to animal conservation. Since 2014, DFID and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have jointly provided £11million to the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, administered by Defra. Through the Challenge Fund we have supported a range of proposals, including one for implementing park action plans for community engagement to tackle illegal wildlife trade in Uganda and one for building judicial capacity to counter wildlife crime in Kenya.For the years 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively, this was split as follows: Africa: £0.4million, £1.2 million, £2.9million and £2.1million; Asia: £0.3million, £0.9million, £1.0million and £1.3million; and South America: £0.06million, £0.1million, £0.1million and £0.09million.Between 2014 - 2018, DFID and Defra also contributed £210million to the Global Environment Facility. Through this funding, the department supports the £100million Global Wildlife Programme, the world’s largest single counter-Illegal Wildlife Trade Programme. This promotes wildlife conservation and sustainable development by combatting illicit trafficking in wildlife in Africa and Asia.

Department for International Development: Apprentices

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what levels of apprenticeships are offered by her Department; and how many apprenticeship starts there were at each level in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: DFID currently offers two apprenticeship schemes: Operational Delivery Apprenticeship (Level 3) and Fast Track Apprenticeship (Level 4 in Business Administration, Commercial and Finance). Details are shown in the below table:YearLevel 3 Operational DeliveryLevel 4 Fast Track2015/20166Fewer than six2016/201713112017/20181229

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much financial assistance her Department has given to projects in Zimbabwe in each of the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID Zimbabwe Programme Spend for the past five years:Financial Year Actual Spend (£)2013/2014105,994,824.162014/201568,620,415.122015/201685,786,771.832016/2017104,885,392.212017/201893,761,324.33TOTAL459,048,727.66

Iraq: Internally Displaced People

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support internally displaced people in Iraq.

Alistair Burt: DFID has committed £237.5 million in humanitarian support to Iraq since 2014, including £20 million this financial year. This helps provide a vital lifeline to internally displaced people through the provision of emergency food, shelter, medical care and clean water. Additionally, the UK has committed over £30 million to improve conditions in liberated areas in Iraq, for instance by delivering basic services like water and electricity, removing mines and promoting community reconciliation. This will make it easier for internally displaced people from across the region to return safely to their areas of origin.

Bangladesh: Migrant Workers

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has had any recent discussions with the Government of Bangladesh with the objective of either (a) promoting the human rights of female migrant workers and (b) promoting the need for more safeguarding for female migrant workers against exploitation and trafficking; and if she will list the outcomes of recent discussions she has had with that Government.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is taking steps to support judicial officials in Bangladesh to promote awareness of their justice system to female migrant workers in that country.

Alistair Burt: We work closely with the Government of Bangladesh on these critical issues. The Secretary of State discussed these issues and met with female migrant workers when she visited Bangladesh in November 2017. Bangladesh was among the first group of countries to endorse the Call to Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking at the UN General Assembly last year. We support Bangladesh to provide greater access to justice for survivors of abuse and trafficking, for instance through an online complaints system and legal advice. In addition, in December we announced a £13m funding package for the second phase of the Work in Freedom programme which will continue to tackle the issues across south Asia and the Middle East. DFID is also funding the Promoting Knowledge for Accountable Systems Programme, which works closely with civil society and the Government in Bangladesh to make systemic improvements that facilitate safer migration.

Yemen: Cholera

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department spent on aid for the treatment of cholera cases in Yemen in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.

Alistair Burt: The UK provided over £8 million in targeted cholera support to UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration in the financial year 2017/18. This support aimed to provide medical supplies to half a million people, safe access to chlorinated water to 300,000 people, and rehabilitate medical facilities used by 250,000 people. DFID did not target funding specifically towards cholera treatment before the cholera outbreak started in 2017. However, our funding to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) services has supported the prevention of cholera since 2015. In the financial year 2016/17, our funding of £112 million in aid to Yemen included support for WaSH services for over 670,000 people. In the financial year 2015/16, our funding of £85 million in aid to Yemen included support for WaSH services for over 1.2 million people.

Yemen: Fuels

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the blockade in Yemen on the price of and accessibility of fuel in that country.

Alistair Burt: Yemen imports almost all of its fuel. Consistent fuel supplies are critical to an effective humanitarian response - fuel supports vital infrastructure including water supplies for major cities, grain mills, and hospital generators, as well as enables the delivery of urgent food supplies and clean water across the country.While the level of fuel imported to Yemen has recently improved, it remains below the country’s needs - 81% of the monthly fuel needs were met through imports via all ports in April compared to 65% in March. Furthermore, the price of fuel remains higher than the level before restrictions were put in place in November. For example, diesel costs over 40% more than one year ago. This is partly due to a decrease in the value of the Yemeni currency.The UK will continue to call on all parties to the conflict to allow unhindered humanitarian and commercial access throughout Yemen, including for fuel.

Department for Education

Students: Loans

Mrs Kemi Badenoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish guidance for higher education institutions on part-time maintenance loans.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Student Finance England (SFE) will launch the application service for part-time maintenance loans in June 2018.Information about these loans is already available to students on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/part-time-undergraduate-maintenance-loan. More detailed practitioner’s guidance for Higher Education providers will be published in advance of the application service launch.

Social Services: Lancashire

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children aged 16 and 17 in Lancashire for the year ending 31 March 2017 (a) were referred to children’s social care services, (b) received support as a child in need, (c) had been referred to children’s social care services in the preceding 24 months.

Nadhim Zahawi: Figures are provided in the table below. Information on children re-referred to children’s social care is available for children referred within 12 months of a previous referral. Referrals to Lancashire local authority, for children aged 16 to 17 years2 Year ending 31 March 2017 Numbers1Referrals1,080Referrals resulting in an assessment where the child was deemed in need3600Referrals within 12 months of a previous referral260Source: Children in need census 2016-17 Notes:1. All numbers are given rounded to the nearest ten.2. Child age is as at 31 March 2017.3. Figures may include a small number of children still undergoing assessment at the end of the year whose needs are not yet determined.

Children: Disadvantaged

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to improve support and transitions into adulthood for children aged 16 and 17 years old who have been assessed as being in need and are experiencing mental ill-health, domestic abuse, exploitation or substance misuse.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government is committed to preparing vulnerable children for adult life and recognises the importance of transitions into adulthood. We are conducting a range of work to assess and improve the support Children in Need receive, including those experiencing mental ill-health, domestic abuse, exploitation or substance misuse. The Children in Need review and call for evidence, which was launched on 16 March, is looking widely at the educational outcomes for Children in Need, and what support they need to improve those outcomes. The Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme is also funding projects to assess how early help and contextual safeguarding can help protect adolescents and prepare them for adult life. The government recognises the significance of specific issues which can affect all Children in Need, including those aged 16 and 17 years old and is taking action to protect and support children facing these specific issues. The government is currently consulting on a wide-reaching package of measures, legislative and non-legislative, to tackle domestic abuse, and has committed to legislation on this issue. On exploitation, the Department for Education’s communications campaign, ‘Together We Can Tackle Child Abuse’, focused earlier this year on educating the public to spot and report where children and young people were being sexual exploited. On Mental Health, the new Mental Health Support Teams proposed in the government’s Mental Health Green Paper will provide significant support to 16-18 year olds in schools and colleges. The Department for Education will also test how the teams can support vulnerable 16-18 year olds and other not in school or college such as those in apprenticeships and other work-based learning. Additionally, the Department of Health and Social Care are setting up a new national strategic partnership with key stakeholders focused on improving the mental health of 16-25 year olds by encouraging more coordinated action, experimentation and robust evaluation.

Students: Mental Health

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote mental health amongst students.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Mental health is a priority for this government. The Children and Young People’s Mental Health green paper, published on 4 December 2017, outlined the government’s plans to set up a new national strategic partnership focused on improving the mental health of 16 to 25 year olds. One recommendation in the green paper is for the partnership to improve awareness and early intervention for students. As independent organisations, it is for each higher education institution to determine which welfare and counselling services they need to provide for their students. There is, however, much work underway to improve the provision of mental health services for students alongside services provided by the NHS. Universities UK’s Step Change programme has been developed to support higher education senior teams to adopt a whole university approach to mental health: http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/stepchange/Pages/framework.aspx.

Schools: Uniforms

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many households received a grant to buy school uniforms in 2017.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held centrally.The Department publishes best practice guidance which makes clear that it is for a school’s governing body or academy trust to decide whether there should be a school uniform policy. The guidance emphasies the need for schools to give highest priority to cost considerations. It also sets out that local authorities and schools in England may choose to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship.The guidance is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the quality of pastoral support provided within the education system for 16 and 17 year olds identified as vulnerable.

Nadhim Zahawi: Schools and colleges are under a legislative duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. As part of this duty, they must have regard to statutory safeguarding guidance, 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' and 'Working Together to Safeguard Children'. Available respectively at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2. The guidance sets out the steps that they must take and the systems that must be in place to provide support for children at each stage of their education. In the context of both guidance documents ‘children’ includes 16 and 17 year olds. Ofsted inspectors report on whether or not arrangements for safeguarding and supporting children and learners are effective. Ofsted has published guidance to inspectors setting out the approach they should take to inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inspecting-safeguarding-in-early-years-education-and-skills-from-september-2015. This makes clear that safeguarding is not just about protecting children and learners from deliberate harm and neglect and relates to broader aspects of care and education. Pupils’ and students’ personal development, behaviour and welfare is also a key area of focus in all inspections of education providers conducted under Ofsted’s Common inspection framework. We are clear in 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' and 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' about the importance of early help assessments. Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges at any point in a child’s life. These assessments should be undertaken by school and college staff for children, especially vulnerable children, aged 16 and 17 as appropriate to their local circumstances. Effective early help can prevent problems escalating. In some cases, however, the school or college may consider that the child is a child in need, as defined under the Children Act 1989, and make a referral to children’s social care. We are currently conducting a range of work to assess and improve the support children in need receive, including those experiencing mental ill-health, domestic abuse, exploitation or substance misuse. The children in need review and call for evidence, which was launched on 16 March, is looking at the educational outcomes for all children in need, including 16 and 17 year olds, and what support they need to improve those outcomes. The Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme is also funding projects to assess how early help and contextual safeguarding can help protect adolescents and prepare them for adult life.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the allocation of the top-up component of high needs funding.

Nick Gibb: Guidance to local authorities on the allocation of top-up funding is found in the high needs funding 2018 to 2019 operational guide, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2018-to-2019.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding to support nursery schools beyond April 2020.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government is committed to supporting maintained nursery schools (MNS); they play an important role in supporting some of our most disadvantaged children.We are providing supplementary funding of approximately £60 million a year to enable local authorities to protect maintained nursery school funding until 2019-20. This provides MNS with stability whilst we develop a long-term solution for them. An important part of this will be understanding the value for money that they offer, and new research will report on this later in the year.Budgets after 2019-20 will be set at the next Spending Review.

Academies

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on the transparency of the process in the event that one academy replaces another as the provider of education at a school.

Nadhim Zahawi: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State said in his recent speech to the National Association of Head Teachers conference that he wants greater transparency about the workings of Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) and Head Teacher Boards (HTBs) that advise and challenge RSCs. The department will work with the sector over the coming months to develop proposals, for consultation in the Autumn, to support a clear and simple accountability system. This will build on the information already available regarding RSCs and their work, including academy transfers. We currently publish records of HTB meetings. In July 2017, we produced updated Terms of Reference for HTBs as part of the summer HTB elections. We publish conflicts of interest registers for HTB members and RSCs, as well as information on the roles and responsibilities of the RSCs and criteria for all relevant types of RSC decisions. On GOV.UK, we publish annually grant funding data for academies that have moved trust, letters to academy trusts about poor performance and academies financial notices to improve

Schools: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of the public sector pay cap on the level of (a) recruitment and (b) retention of staff in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The public sector pay cap is no longer in place and we have adopted a more flexible approach to public sector pay. The remit to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) stated that they should utilise this flexibility to target the next pay award to promote recruitment and retention. Research suggests that pay is not the main driver of teachers leaving the profession, and teachers do not tend to leave for better-paid jobs. The fundamental changes to teachers’ pay that have been introduced over the last four years following the STRB’s recommendations have given greater discretion to schools to decide how to reward their staff. This increased flexibility helps schools to attract and retain the best teachers and to target any school-level recruitment and retention problems they may have, including addressing teacher shortages in specific subjects.

Grammar Schools: Travel

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to item 13 in table 2.1 of the Spring Budget 2017, whether it is still his policy to provide free travel to selective schools at the cost of £5 million per year.

Nick Gibb: The Department will set out plans for the £5 million fund for transport to selective schools for disadvantaged pupils in due course. The Selective Schools Expansion Fund launched on 11 May and the Memorandum of Understanding agreed with the Grammar School Heads Association, will ensure that selective schools take effective action to improve access to selective schools for disadvantaged pupils.

Grammar Schools: Capital Investment

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department’s news story Drive to create more good school places for families published on 11 May 2018, how many additional school places the Selective Schools Expansion Fund is forecast to create in each of the next four years.

Nick Gibb: The Department announced the £50 million capital funding to support the expansion of selective schools for 2018/19. This is a new fund, so it will not be possible to provide an accurate forecast of the number of additional places to be provided in 2018/19 until the bidding round closes on 19 July 2018, when the Department can analyse the bids received. Broadly, based on the average per-place cost of previous expansions funded via the Condition Improvement Fund, £50 million could fund up to 4,000 places. The Department will consider the need for further investment in the expansion of selective schools beyond 2018/19 in due course.

Grammar Schools: Capital Investment

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department’s news story Drive to create more good school places for families published on 11 May 2018, whether the £50 million a year Selective Schools Expansion Fund is in addition to the £50 million of funding to allow selective schools to expand announced in paragraph 5.13 of the Autumn Statement 2016.

Nick Gibb: The £50 million capital funding confirmed for 2018/19 by the Department on 11 May is part of the funding that was announced in paragraph 5.13 of the Autumn Statement 2016.

Grammar Schools: Capital Investment

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department’s news story Drive to create more good school places for families published on 11 May 2018, whether there are any specific steps which will need to be outlined in a grammar school’s Fair Access and Participation Plan for them to be eligible for funding from the Selective Schools Expansion Fund.

Nick Gibb: The conditions schools will have to meet are set out in the application guidance which can be viewed here. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/706313/SSEF_How_to_Apply_Guidance_2018-2019.odt.

Grammar Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will publish the fair access and partnership plans of all grammar schools that are awarded additional funding from the selective school expansion fund.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not routinely publish applications for funding.

Voluntary Schools: Capital Investment

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department’s news story Drive to create more good school places for families published on 11 May 2018, how capital funding is planned to be made available to help create new voluntary-aided schools in each of the five fiscals years from and including 2018-19.

Nick Gibb: Funding for the capital scheme to help create new voluntary-aided schools will be from within the Department for Education’s existing budget for new schools. As set out in the government’s response to the ‘Schools that work for everyone’ consultation, and in line with our existing approach to voluntary-aided schools, proposers will be required to contribute 10% of the capital costs of a new voluntary-aided school. We will be developing the detail of the scheme, including the funding arrangements, in the coming months.

Voluntary Schools: Capital Investment

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department’s news story Drive to create more good school places for families published on 11 May 2018, whether funding for new voluntary aided schools will be allocated on the basis of there being (a) a  need for additional schools places and (b) demand for additional places in faith schools, and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: As set out in the government’s response to the ‘Schools that work for everyone’ consultation, local authorities have a duty to plan and secure sufficient schools for their areas using their basic need funding, and by working with their partners, including providers of Church and other faith schools. In order for a proposal to qualify for funding under the scheme, applicants will need to demonstrate both a need for new school places, and to provide an assessment of demand for places at the school. We will be developing the detail of the scheme in the coming months.

Voluntary Schools: Capital Investment

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department’s news story Drive to create more good school places for families published on 11 May 2018, what steps by voluntary aided schools would be seen by his Department as playing an active role in their community; and whether that is a condition of receiving funding to open new voluntary aided schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: Schools have a key part to play in providing opportunities for young people from different backgrounds to learn with, from and about each other; by encouraging, through their teaching, an understanding of, and respect for, other cultures, faiths and communities. Our existing statutory guidance for decision-makers opening new maintained schools sets out that when considering a proposal to open a voluntary-aided school, the decision-maker must consider its impact on community cohesion. This will remain the case for new voluntary-aided schools created using funding from the capital scheme, and we will develop the detail of the scheme over the coming months.

Free Schools

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department’s news story Drive to create more good school places for families published on 11 May 2018, what timetable his Department has set for Wave 13 of free school applications.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department published the timetable for the mainstream Wave 13 application round on 11 May 2018 in the ‘How to apply to set up a mainstream free school’ guidance. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-application-guide.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Beverage Containers: Recycling

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Denmark, (b) Sweden and (c) Germany on deposit return schemes for single use drinks containers.

George Eustice: The Minister responsible for this policy area, Minister Coffey, visited Norway, Sweden and Denmark late last year to find out more about the deposit return schemes (DRS) in those countries, including meeting the then Danish Minister for Environment and Food to discuss the Danish DRS. The Secretary of State has not had any specific discussions on DRS with his counterparts in Denmark, Sweden or Germany

Recycling: EU Action

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the analysis undertaken by his Department on the EU Circular Economy Package.

George Eustice: Impact assessments showing the full cost to benefit analysis for transposing the Circular Economy Package (CEP), will be developed and published in due course and as part of any consultations for implementing measures within the CEP.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) PM 10 and (b) PM 2.5 particulate matter emissions in the vicinity of an incinerator that come from the incinerator and those that exist independently in the vicinity of an incinerator.

George Eustice: Estimates of total particulate matter from incinerators compared to a local environment are made at the point of permitting using dispersion modelling techniques. The modelling estimates the total particulate released from an incinerator and combines this data with site specific information on the ambient air quality in the local environment to establish the contributory impact. Dispersion modelling is undertaken at the individual incinerator location taking into account the rate of particulate release, the height of stack, the temperature of the plume and the local topography. This modelling shows the impact on the local area of the installation. By incorporating local metrological conditions and background particulate levels (established by local authority testing stations) it is possible to gauge the relative impacts of the incinerators.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135379, for what reasons that answer states that there is no commercially available equipment for continuous monitoring of PM10 and PM 2.5 when in an assessment of PM10 and PM2.5 emissions from five energy-from-waste plants by Ricardo AEA Consultancy carried out for his Department and published on 6 January 2016 there is reference to both periodic and continuous emission measurements.

George Eustice: The only reference to continuous measurement in the report is in Section 6 on page 14 which states “….periodic and continuous emission measurements undertaken for regulatory compliance indicated total PM emissions generally below 1 mg/m3 for these facilities….” which is clearly referring to measurement of total particulate emissions, rather than measurement of PM10 or PM2.5. The method by which PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were measured is set out in section 3.1 of the report. This describes a type of periodic emissions measurement where particles from the exhaust gases are collected onto a material which is weighed in a laboratory before and after the sampling procedure in order to determine the mass of PM10 or PM2.5 collected. The results of this (together with the measurement of the exhaust gas flow rate recorded during the sampling period) are then used to calculate the concentration of these particles in the exhaust gases.

Water Supply

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the average real terms investment in the water supply infrastructure in each year since 1988; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Since privatisation in 1989 the water industry has invested approximately £4.9 billion per year on average (in 2016/17 prices) in both water supply and wastewater infrastructure. Ofwat calculates that between the years of 1989 to 2018 the following amounts have been invested in water supply: Year1989 1990 19911992 19931994 199519961997 Water  Supply Capital Investment (£ billion)1.92.42.92.82.52.02.12.62.6 199819992000 20012002 20032004 20052006 20072.32.31.72.02.32.22.12.02.62.9  20082009201020112012 20132014 20152016 201720182.72.31.92.22.22.12.11.61.92.42.2 Ofwat has also calculated the 1988 total capital expenditure for water and wastewater combined as £3.7 billion. A breakdown of capital expenditure between water supply and wastewater infrastructure is not available pre-1989. These figures are in 2016/17 prices using RPI financial year average.

Countryside

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the 25 Year Environment Plan policy paper published by his Department in January 2018, what the timescale is for the proposed review of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and how that review will be conducted.

George Eustice: The Government announced its intention to conduct a review of national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty for the 21st century through the 25 Year Environment Plan. Further details on how the review will be conducted will be available in due course.

Dogs: Smuggling

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer question 138535, on Dogs: Smuggling, how many puppies were seized at Dover and Folkestone and placed in quarantine under the Puppy Pilot in (a) each month between 1 October 2017 and 31 March 2018 and (b) April 2018.

George Eustice: The number of puppies seized and quarantined at Dover and Folkestone under the Puppy Pilot from 1 October 2017 to 30 April 2018 are as follows:  MonthPuppies seized and quarantinedOctober 201761November 201737December 201723January 20185February 201812March 20185April 20183

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2018 to Question 137401, what the parameters are within which something classifies as particulate matter.

George Eustice: The answer to Question 137401 referred to total particulate matter (TPM) which is measured continuously at incinerators by their continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS). TPM CEMS have to be calibrated by carrying out periodic sampling known as a reference method (i.e. the most accurate method) side-by-side with the continuous monitoring, and then adjusting the results obtained from the CEMS according to the results obtained by periodic sampling. The reference method for dust (another term for TPM) is set out in the British/European Standard BS EN 13284-1. It is therefore appropriate to refer to the definition in BS EN 13284-1 for dust in order to define TPM, which reads as follows: “dustparticles, of any shape, structure or density, dispersed in the gas phase at the sampling point conditions which may be collected by filtration under specified conditions after representative sampling of the gas to be analysed, and which remain upstream of the filter and on the filter after drying under specified conditions.”

Waste Management

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff have been employed on the Waste and Resources Action Plan in each year since 2010.

George Eustice: The table below provides data on the average number of Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) employees at the end of each financial year since 2010. YearWRAP employees 2009/102542010/112532011/122522012/132492013/142702014/151802015/161722016/171842017/18183

Members: Correspondence

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich of 26 March 2018 on air quality and the planned cruise liner terminal building on land at Enderby Wharf, Christchurch Way, Greenwich SE10.

George Eustice: A response to the letter of 26 March 2018 was sent on 15 May 2018.

Animal Welfare: Disqualification Orders

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many disqualification orders have been issued in England and Wales under s34 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: Records of disqualification orders are not held centrally.Records of the number of offenders convicted of animal welfare offences are held by the Ministry of Justice. However, records of disqualification orders made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 are not routinely held by that department, but are held on the Police National Computer. To breach a disqualification order is an offence and therefore numbers of breaches are held by the Ministry of Justice.Although records of disqualification orders are held on the Police National Computer, because of the way they are recorded it is not possible to link the number made under the 2006 Act to the number of convictions under the same Act.

Animal Welfare: Disqualification Orders

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many disqualification orders under s34 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 have been breached in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the reply given to the Hon. Member for Nottingham North, on 2 May 2018, PQ UIN 137656.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135379, and the reference therein to there being no commercially available equipment for monitoring emissions of PM10 and PM2.5, to what sort of equipment the references on pages 7 and 9 of the Technical Guidance Note M15 on Monitoring PM10 and PM2.5 refer which give advice about continuous monitoring of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.

George Eustice: Page 7 refers to the requirement to know the results from the continuous emissions monitoring systems (which measure total particulate matter). The results are needed to select an appropriate sampling duration to carry out the discontinuous monitoring of PM10 and PM2.5. Page 9 refers to techniques for the continuous measurement of PM10 and PM2.5 in ambient air and not in the exhaust gases from the stacks (chimneys) of processes such as waste incinerators (for which there is no commercially available equipment).

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer to of 19 April 2018 to Question 135379, what non-commercially available equipment there is for measuring emissions of PM10 and PM2.5.

George Eustice: The answer to Question 135379 referred to the fact that there is no commercially available equipment for the continuous monitoring of PM10 and PM2.5. The Environment Agency is aware that there have been a limited number of research projects undertaken by academic or research institutes around the world which have attempted to adapt ambient monitoring techniques for PM10 and PM2.5 to stack (chimney) emissions monitoring, but these would have been installed for short periods of time and so do not provide continuous monitoring results. The Environment Agency is not aware of any other examples of non-commercially available equipment for measuring emissions of PM10 and PM2.5.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2017 to Question 117197 on Incinerators, who undertakes the strict monitoring regime for emissions of PM 10 and PM 2.5.

George Eustice: The Environment Agency requires operators to continuously monitor atmospheric emissions of total particulate matter, which are comprised of PM2.5, PM10 and other particulates.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of (a) the additional amount of extra traffic caused by a waste incinerator being in use and (b) the increase in emissions of (i) PM10, (ii) PM2.5, (iii) PM 1 and (iv) PM0.1 caused by that extra traffic.

George Eustice: In order to decide whether to grant an environmental permit to operate a new incinerator, the Environment Agency is required to consider all emissions arising from activities carried out within the permit boundary of the proposed site, including emissions arising from vehicle movements. Assessment of the impact of emissions from vehicle movements to and from the site is the responsibility of the local planning authority.

Squirrels

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the change in the (a) grey and (b) red squirrel populations between 2007 and 2017.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 14 November 2017 to PQ UIN 112856.

Waste Disposal

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2018 to Question 123768 on Waste Disposal, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make the separate collection of compostable waste by local authorities mandatory.

George Eustice: Local authorities are best placed to determine local waste collection and recycling services in line with legislation and taking into account the services local residents demand. Separate collection of compostable waste is the best way to ensure this material is sent to the most appropriate treatment option and for diverting this waste from landfill, reducing the potential for greenhouse gas emissions. 97% of local authorities in England offer a garden waste collection service, and 50% of local authorities in England offer a dedicated food waste collection service either separately or mixed with garden waste. This waste is typically composted or, in the case of separately collected food waste, sent to anaerobic digestion. We want to encourage local authorities to follow best practice in the provision of waste collection and recycling services, and have worked with the Waste and Resources Action Programme to provide guidance on separate collection of food waste and on garden waste collection and have committed to working towards no foodwaste entering landfill by 2030.

Animal Welfare: South East

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of animal rescue homes in the South East.

George Eustice: We have no estimates on the number of such establishments in the South East because they are not subject to a specific regulatory regime.

Plastics: Seas and Oceans

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his department is taking to (a) reduce and (b) remove plastic waste in the seas around the UK.

George Eustice: To reduce plastic waste in our seas, we recently introduced one of the world’s strongest bans on harmful microbeads in rinse-off personal care products. Action is also being taken to improve water infrastructure, which is an important pathway for contaminants, including microfibres, to the wider aquatic environment. £2 billion investment is planned by 2020 to improve sewage treatment works and collecting systems to limit polluting events. We have announced a £200,000 research project which will focus on microplastics derived from tyres and clothing, how they enter the marine environment and the impact they have. To remove litter already in UK seas we support schemes such as Fishing for Litter, which supply commercial fishermen with bags to dispose of marine sourced litter collected during normal fishing operations. Additionally, because lost or abandoned fishing gear can trap and harm marine life we support the Global Ghost Gear Initiative. The initiative is an alliance of the fishing industry, NGOs and Government agencies working to solve the problem of ghost gear. We fund the Marine Conversation Society to carry out beach cleans and collect data. This helps us monitor the levels of plastic pollution, and the data is used in combination with other monitoring data to inform our decisions about how to address marine litter.

Environment Protection: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will commit to not falling below the standards set in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 when establishing common UK frameworks for the environment after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Prime Minister has been clear that current environmental protections will not be weakened after the UK leaves the EU. We are committed to working closely with the devolved administrations to deliver an approach that works for the whole of the UK, whilst also respecting the devolution settlements and the specific needs of each administration. Ministers and officials are in regular discussion with counterparts in the devolved administrations on environmental policy matters. This includes considering the need for common frameworks after the UK leaves the EU, and how standards set in relevant devolved legislation, such as the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, should be taken into account in any future framework arrangements agreed between the UK Government and the devolved administrations.

Horses: Databases

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy that the statutory enforcement of the identification of horses be compiled by the Central Equine Database once that database is fully launched.

George Eustice: The Central Equine Database is fully launched. Local authorities are responsible for the enforcement of equine identification and regulations to be laid before Parliament will provide further options for effective enforcement.

Forestry Commission: Land Use

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the agreement between the Forestry Commission and Forest Holidays to develop holiday chalets and infrastructure across the forestry estate; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Forestry Commission has a large number of contractual agreements with private businesses operating on the public forest estate. Forest Holidays is a Joint Venture dating back to 2006 and established under the Regulatory Reform (Forestry) Order 2006. The overarching Framework Agreement, updated in 2012, and lease agreements state conditions that Forest Holidays must comply with to ensure sites are managed in line with Forestry Commission objectives. These are in addition to any planning conditions and other technical protections in place as part of any planning consent issued by the Local Planning Authority.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) short-term and (b) long-term risks to the UK financial services after the UK leaves the EU.

Suella Braverman: The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. We have been clear in our ambition to agree a broad and comprehensive trade agreement with the EU, which should cover financial services and protect the role of the City of London as a top global financial centre in the future. In March this year, London was named once again as the world’s leading financial centre; we are committed to maintaining that position. We have also been clear that a good deal on financial services is in the mutual interest of the UK and the EU. Firms across the EU will continue to want to access the unrivalled depth and breadth of London’s capital markets. We will also seek to establish strong cooperative oversight arrangements with the EU and will continue to support and implement international standards to continue to safely serve the UK, European and global economy. It is in both sides’ interests to ensure that we agree oversight arrangements that promote the maintenance of financial stability. The Government has previously confirmed that when we bring forward the vote on the final deal, we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis to make an informed decision – in relation to all sectors of the economy, including financial services.

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of the potential risks to the economic sustainability of the financial services sector in each constituent part of the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Suella Braverman: The Government continues to undertake a wide range of ongoing analysis covering all constituent parts of the UK to inform the UK’s position for the negotiation with the European partners. A key part of that understanding is the differences across the UK and across all sectors of the UK economy. We are committed to positive and productive engagement with the devolved administrations, local government and businesses as we seek a deal that works for the entire UK. Ministers and senior officials meet with financial services firms across the UK; Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Robin Walker, recently met an insurance firm in Cardiff to discuss how EU exit will impact their company and the Welsh financial services sector. Financial services firms in all parts of the UK benefit from access to the European market and as we seek to negotiate our Future Partnership we will continue to engage all parts of the country.

Financial Services

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the (a) Government and (b) EU position is on the enforceability of financial contract continuity after the UK leaves the EU.

Suella Braverman: There is a shared interest for both the UK and the EU in ensuring that we avoid outcomes that impose unnecessary costs and disruption on individuals and firms as we leave the EU. The Government and the EU both recognise that our exit has the potential to impact the continuity of service provision. We have been clear that a deep and ambitious future partnership covering financial services – in combination with an agreement on a time-limited implementation period – is the best way to mitigate these risks. The Government announced on 20 December 2017 that we will legislate, if necessary, to ensure that contractual obligations of EEA firms contracting with UK customers, such as those found in insurance contracts, can continue to be met. This would apply to in-bound firms only – the UK Government believes it in the interest of businesses and consumers in both the UK and the EU to ensure reciprocal arrangements are in place. We are working, together with our regulatory authorities, to provide assurances for firms and consumers that we will deliver an orderly exit from the EU. We also welcome the fact that the European Central Bank and the Bank of England have recently agreed to convene a technical working group to mitigate risks to financial services posed by our exit from the EU. While this working group is separate from the ongoing negotiations with our European partners, it provides an opportunity for UK and EU authorities to discuss risks, gives reassurance for firms, and allows UK and European financial services regulators to work together to ensure a smooth and orderly exit.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2018 to Question 137497 on Department for Exiting the European Union: Northern Ireland, if he will publish the programme of meetings and events for that visit.

Mr Steve Baker: Details of Ministerial meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which can be found on gov.uk.

Attorney General

Gurpal Virdi

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Attorney General, if he will set out the inaccuracies known to the CPS and to the prosecuting barrister which were made by the complainant in the criminal prosecution of Gurpal Virdi.

Jeremy Wright: As my Right Honourable Friend will know, the CPS makes all its prosecution decisions independently and therefore I am unable to intervene on an individual case.I do however understand that the CPS has previously written to, and met with, the Hon. Member and fully discussed the decision making in this case and the evidence on which the prosecution based its case.

Attorney General: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Robert Buckland: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so. The leak of any Government information or material is not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously.

Attorney General: Brexit

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on his Department's responsibilities.

Jeremy Wright: Exit is an all-of-government operation. Members of staff across the Law Officers’ Departments provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required. The Law Officers’ Departments are working with officials across government to inform the Government’s understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Modernisation

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to modernise prison buildings.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to close older prison facilities and open new ones over the next five years.

Rory Stewart: The Government set out its ambition for a reformed prison estate in the November 2016 Prison Safety and Reform White Paper including announcing building modern prisons on the sites of the former HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Glen Parva and HM Prison Wellingborough. Through the Ministry of Justice’s prison estate transformation programme we are getting the basics right by building decent prisons to improve rehabilitation and create safe and secure environments for staff and offenders. We will close prisons that cannot provide decent facilities, are expensive to operate and/or maintain; reinvesting savings into the maintenance or enhancement of the prisons in the estate. On 22 March 2017 the Government announced plans, subject to planning approvals, value for money and affordability, to build four modern prisons: adjacent to HM Prison Full Sutton in Yorkshire, Port Talbot in Neath and redevelop HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Rochester in Kent and HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Hindley, in Greater Manchester. Construction of a new 202 place houseblock at HMP Stocken, in Rutland is already underway. This will be ready for use from December 2018. No decisions have been made about prison closures other than those already announced.

Ministry of Justice: Diaries

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many page views there were of his Department's Ministerial diaries in each of the last 12 months.

Dr Phillip Lee: Holding answer received on 27 April 2018



Information on Ministry of Justice ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings is published quarterly, the following data covers quarterly releases for the last 12-months: To date, the page views for each set of data are as follows:The January – March 2017 quarterly release has had 62 unique views* The April – June 2017 quarterly release has had 63 unique views* The July – September 2017 quarterly release has had 65 unique views*The October – December 2017 quarterly release - Not yet published. *How many times the data download link has been clicked (unique).

Segregation of Prisoners

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many requests to authorise a removal from association as specified in Paragraph 2(B) of Rule 49 of the Prisons and Young Offender Institution Offender Rules he received from Prison Governors in 2017; and how many of those requests for removal from association were granted.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many requests to authorise a removal from association under paragraph 2(C) of Rule 49 of the Prisons and Young Offender Institution Offender Rules 2000 he received from governors in 2017; and many of those requests were granted.

Dr Phillip Lee: Prison and Young Offender Institution (YOI) Rule 49 (Removal From Association - RFA) permits a Governor to segregate a young person from others (either generally or for particular purposes). Segregation under this rule must be desirable either for the maintenance of good order or discipline, or for the young person’s own interests. Although Rule 49 (2b) provides that the governor must obtain leave from the Secretary of State in writing to authorise continuing segregation beyond 42 days, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service’s policy on segregation mandates that young people cannot be segregated beyond 21 days without this leave being obtained. The safety and welfare of all young people held in custody is one of our highest priorities. When young people in custody are putting themselves or others at risk, segregation can be used as a last resort for limited periods of time when no other form of intervention is suitable. This is closely monitored by specialist staff and accompanied by a strategy of intervention.  The table below provides the number of applications received for authorisation of continued RFA after 21 days and 42 days as well as the number of applications that were approved during 2017.   RFA beyond 21 daysRFA beyond 42 daysNo of applications received7327No of applications approved7327 NB : All applications received were approvedThe numbers above represent occurrences and not individual young people

Prisons: Postal Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what categories of illegal items have been found in packages sent to prisoners in the latest year for which information is available; and how many items were in each category in that period.

Rory Stewart: We take a zero-tolerance approach to contraband in prisons. Anyone found with illicit items should be subject to disciplinary proceedings or, where appropriate, referral to the police. The categories of illicit items that prisons use to record where items are in packages sent to prisoners are ‘alcohol’, ‘tobacco’, ‘weapons’, ‘drugs’, ‘phones’ and ‘other reportable items’. We have not previously published data regarding how many illegal items in all of the categories above have been found in packages sent to prisoners. The information requested is planned for publication by the Ministry of Justice in July, and will be available on GOV.UK.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the trends in the prison population of (a) male and (b) female prisoners over the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The table below contains annual male and female prison population as at 30 June each year since 2008.DateMalesFemalesTotal30-Jun-0878,6894,50583,19430-Jun-0979,0844,30783,39130-Jun-1080,7354,26785,00230-Jun-1181,1894,18585,37430-Jun-1281,9254,12386,04830-Jun-1379,9893,85383,84230-Jun-1481,5803,92985,50930-Jun-1582,2893,90486,19330-Jun-1681,2723,86285,13430-Jun-1781,8564,00785,86327-Apr-1879,8083,86583,673 The data are based on snapshots and do not provide an indication of all prisoners who have entered custody within the timescales shown. The data are derived from the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) which is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly All data shown are based on the prison population at 30 June of each representative year. This tool has been designed for high level analytical purposes only. The detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. While the figures shown have been checked as far as practicable, they should be regarded as approximate and not necessarily accurate to the last whole number shown in the tables. They are fit to be used for comparing the relative magnitude of components. The MoJ is undertaking a programme of large scale prison reform which includes modernising the prison estate, closing older prisons that are not fit for purpose and creating in their place high-quality, rehabilitative establishments. We keep the prison population and capacity under careful review to ensure that there is always sufficient capacity.

Civil Disorder: Greater London

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders released from custody after serving a sentence handed down following the riots in London in 2011 have subsequently been convicted of a further offence.

Rory Stewart: The information requested is not available centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Assaults on Police: Convictions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of assaulting a police officer in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of those people received a prison sentence.

Rory Stewart: The Government strongly condemns assaults against police officers. That is why we helped draft legislation which will double the maximum sentence for assaults against them, and other emergency workers, to ensure those who carry out such attacks feel the full force of the law. Statistics on convictions for assault of a police officer can be found in ‘Experimental statistics – proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code (CSV)’ in the annual criminal justice statistics publication at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2016. The offence code to select is ‘10423 – assault on a constable’. Data is available here for 2015 and 2016, which is the latest currently available.

Terrorism: Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners convicted of terrorist-related offences have been released on temporary licence in each of the last three years.

Rory Stewart: Public protection is our priority. All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full risk assessment, involving all relevant agencies, before being considered for Release on temporary licence (ROTL).ROTL is used to prepare prisoners for their eventual release from custody and helps with finding work and stable accommodation, and to build and maintain family ties, all of which helps reduce reoffending. The ROTL compliance rate stands at over 99%.There have been three releases on temporary leave in the last three years, one a year.

Knives: Crime

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of all sentences handed down for (a) possession of and (b) threatening with a knife were custodial sentences in the last year for which figures are available.

Rory Stewart: In 2017 11,809 possession of a blade or point offences resulted in a conviction and of these 7,339 received some form of custodial sentence (62%). A custodial sentence can be either an immediate custodial sentence or a suspended sentence order. There were 649 threatening with a blade or point offences in 2017 receiving a conviction and of these 522 received some form of custodial sentence (80%).

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national prisoners from each country were convicted of each offence type in the last year for which figures are available.

Rory Stewart: Any foreign national who comes to our country and abuses our hospitality by breaking the law should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them. More than 41,000 Foreign National Offenders have been removed from the UK since 2010, and in the 2016/17 financial year over 6,300 were removed. The table attached provides the requested information for the calendar year 2017.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 49.01 KB)

Immigration: Legal Aid Scheme

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the demand for legal aid for immigration cases.

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effect of changes in funding for legal aid on the level of people's access to advice and assistance on immigration issues; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is currently undertaking a post-implementation review of the impact of the legal aid changes made under the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. An assessment of the impact of recent changes to the provision of legal aid for non-asylum immigration cases will be made as part of the review process.

Prison Officers: Sick Leave

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the number of prison officers on sick leave due to mental health difficulties.

Rory Stewart: In the 12 months to 31 December 2017, there were 1,561 band 3-5 prison officers who were on sick leave due to mental and behavioural disorders. HMPPS is committed to providing safe, decent and secure places of work and takes the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees extremely seriously. HMPPS also recognises that the physical, emotional and social wellbeing of employees is paramount to attracting and retaining staff that will build a strong and capable organisation. All HMPPS staff have access to an occupational health service and employee assistance programme. This includes 24 hour, 365 days a year access to signposting and counselling; trauma support services; a wide ranging health promotion website and personal wellbeing zone. As well as access to comprehensive occupational health services and self-referral for confidential counselling, specialist counselling such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is also available to staff who have experienced trauma. Fast track referrals to see an occupational health nurse are encouraged for staff who have experienced trauma and where staff are absent as a result of a mental and behavioural disorder an immediate referral to occupational health is recommended. Care teams, comprising of prison service staff, provide an immediate source of peer support and signpost staff to all of the services available.

Employment Tribunals Service

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many claimants at employment tribunals were represented by a qualified professional in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: The data requested are not available. However, the Ministry of Justice publishes information annually on the representation of claimants at Employment Tribunals. The latest data, covering each financial year from 2005/06 to 2016/17, can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2017-and-2016-to-2017

Prison and Probation Service: Equality

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service has plans to develop a new performance management system to ensure it is fully compliant with the Equality Act 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Currently there are no plans to develop a new performance management system in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. The current performance management system is a standard policy adopted across government organisations which underwent an equality analysis prior to its implementation. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service recognise policies require continuous equalities consideration, and as with any policy, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service continue to consider equalities with regards to the current performance management policy on an ongoing basis.

Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to provide the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman with an unredacted copy of the Volume 5 manual showing the Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint authorised restraint techniques to assist her investigations of complaints about the use of such techniques with child prisoners.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to provide independent advocates with an unredacted copy of the Volume 5 manual showing the Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint authorised restraint techniques to help them support children.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to provide local authorities with an unredacted copy of the Volume 5 manual showing the Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint authorised restraint techniques to enable them to investigate allegations of abuse arising from the use of such techniques.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to provide independent reviewing officers with an unredacted copy of the Volume 5 manual showing the Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint authorised restraint techniques to assist them in discharging their duty to consider referring children’s human rights breaches to Cafcass.

Dr Phillip Lee: The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint should only be used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm to self or others, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate.The Ministry of Justice has assessed that routine disclosure of the un-redacted version of chapter five of the Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) manual could potentially threaten the security of establishments holding young people. We maintain our current position which is not to disclose un-redacted copies of any part of this manual.

Slavery: Legal Aid Scheme

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of  the number of potential victims of modern slavery who have (a) sought free legal assistance and (b) been denied such assistance in each year for which information is available.

Lucy Frazer: The Legal Aid Agency cannot identify all applicants for legal aid that have been potential victims of modern slavery, as such a status is only captured in cases where the legal aid scheme makes specific provision for such individuals, for example, immigration advice for those identified as a potential victim of modern slavery though the National Referral Mechanism. Victims of modern slavery can also access other forms of legal aid, although such instances will not be discernible from the LAA’s systems. Legal aid for potential victims of modern slavery is available by way of Legal Help or Controlled Legal Representation. However, as the application process for this type of legal aid is devolved to the instructed solicitor, the number of instances where such legal aid was sought or refused cannot be reported on, and furthermore such cases can only be identified when they are reported to the LAA after their conclusion. For Civil Representation, decisions on funding are taken by the LAA and it is possible to identify applications and refusals at the outset of the case. The information below shows how many legal aid certificates have been issued to victims making claims for damages which arise from trafficking. These figures only relate to public funding where we know the applicant is potentially a victim by the nature of the service sought and will not include other cases where a victim may have sought legal aid Qualifying for free legal assistance will depend upon an individual’s financial circumstances for cases where a means test and a merits test must be undertaken in order to obtain legal aid. YearApplications madeApplications refused2014-201550 2015-2016141 2016-201790

Personal Injury: Compensation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2018 to Question 139426 on the Personal Injury Discount Rate consultation, what the reasons were for the time taken by the Government to publish its response to that consultation.

Rory Stewart: The Government published the consultation paper: “Damages Act 1996: the discount rate: review of the legal framework” on 12 February 2013, and its response to the consultation on 30th March 2017. The department would usually hope to reply to its consultations in a timely manner. However, in this instance in the light of the need for further consideration to be given to the issues raised it was not in a position to do so. The Government has now set out its approach to reforming the setting of the discount rate in the Civil Liability Bill, which is currently at Committee stage in the House of Lords.

Prisoners: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant the Answer of 9 May 2018 to Question 139479, what rehabilitation strategies his Department has put in place to prepare Gypsies and Travellers for release from prison.

Rory Stewart: All rehabilitation schemes within Her Majesty’s Prison Service are available to all and tailored to the specific needs of the individual. They focus on areas such as employment and accommodation. The general training of new prison officers covers information about working with Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller prisoners. Refreshed Probation Officer training is currently being introduced. This includes content on the particular needs of the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller groups, with a particular focus on the challenges that these groups may face in complying with community orders or periods of licence, associated with lifestyle.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the time limit to apply for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is two years after the incident.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme) is a government funded scheme which is designed to compensate victims of violent crime in Great Britain. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) has administered the statutory Scheme since 1995, and it decides all claims independently of Ministers and Parliament.  The Scheme requires that applicants submit a claim so that it is received as soon as reasonably practicable after the incident, and in any event no later than two years after the date of that incident. The time limit for applications is in place to encourage victims to make their application as soon as possible in order that the facts and circumstances of the application can be fully assessed. Delays in making an application may present difficulties in obtaining evidence about the incident and physical and mental injury caused to the applicant. There is additional provision in the Scheme for applicants who were aged under 18 at the time of the incident. The Scheme allows CICA to accept applications from adults injured as children provided they apply either before their 20th birthday where the incident was reported to the police before they turned 18 or within two years of the date they reported the incident to the police, if they did so after they turned 18. Further, the Scheme gives CICA a discretionary power to extend the time limits for an application, but only where due to exceptional circumstances an application could not have been made earlier, and the evidence provided in support of the application means that it can be determined without further extensive enquiries by a claims officer. CICA’s guidance sets out what ‘exceptional circumstances’ should involve. This could include where the applicant was physically or mentally incapable of making an application within the timeframe.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Contracts

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2018 to Question 139388, what criteria are used to rate contracts.

Oliver Dowden: The evaluation considers the service quality and commercial aspects of the contract, as well as the ability of the supplier and authority teams to anticipate, identify and resolve any significant issues that may arise.

Cabinet Office: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver; and how many civil servants are so provided for.

Oliver Dowden: The Cabinet Secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, has the use of an allocated car and driver in the circumstances permitted by the Civil Service Management Code.

Civil Servants: Flexible Working

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the proportion of civil servants who use flexible working.

Oliver Dowden: The Civil Service encourages flexible working, recognising that flexible working patterns can be mutually beneficial by improving employees’ work-life balance and wellbeing, helping to attract and retain a diverse workforce, particularly those with caring responsibilities, increasing productivity and reducing costs.There is a great deal of flexible working, encompassing a number of practices. These arrangements are made departmentally and locally. Working patterns are agreed subject to business need and arrangements can be contractual or informal depending on circumstances. Decisions are made in line with the ACAS Code of Practice on Flexible Working. Agreements are also subject to periodic review to ensure the arrangements remain fit for purpose for the individual and the business.We do not hold information centrally about the overall numbers of civil servants across all types of flexible working patterns.

Government Property Profession

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants there were in the Property Profession in each year since 2014.

Oliver Dowden: The number of civil servants who have formally signed up as members of the Property Profession in each year since 2014 is as follows: 2014 FEB1,56320151,90020162,00020172,0532018 FEB2,500

Cabinet Office: Incentives

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Oliver Dowden: As part of the Transparency agenda, my Department has published information annually about bonuses (Non-Consolidated Performance Related Payments) paid to Civil Servants working in the Cabinet Office and its agencies for each financial year since 2010/11. These are available at: 2015/16https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621431/CO_NCPRP_2016.csv2014/15https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/645603/CO_NCPRP_2015_.csv2013/14https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/414856/Cabinet_Office_NCPRP_2014.csv2012/13https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/285248/CO_2013.csv2011/12https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/83748/CO_NCPRP.csv2010/11https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/62006/ncprp-data-collection.csv We expect figures relating to payments made in 2017-18 for performance during 2016-17 to be published during June 2018.

Government Departments: Public Appointments

Christian Matheson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which senior public appointments have been made by the Government from January to April 2018.

Oliver Dowden: Details of public appointments are on the Centre for Public Appointments website:https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/announcements/

National Fraud Initiative: Data Protection

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Answer of 9 May 2018 to Question 139389 on National Fraud Initiative: Data Protection, when he plans to complete that review.

Chloe Smith: We intend for our assessment to be complete after the GDPR takes effect on 25th May. We will however we will keep NFI's compliance with data protection law under review as the new legal framework develops and becomes embedded.

Cancer

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the five most common cancer diagnoses were among (a) men and (b) women in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2017.

Chloe Smith: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 15 May 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 66.34 KB)

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 66.34 KB)

Freedom of Information: Private Sector

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he intends to hold a consultation on extending the Freedom of Information Act 2001 to private sector providers of public services.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to the principles of transparency and openness across the public sector.We continually keep the scope of the Freedom of Information Act under review.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how his Department plans to use the evaluation of the voter ID pilots to inform (a) further pilots taking place in 2019 and (b) the implementation of voter ID requirements at the next general election.

Chloe Smith: Voter ID was successfully tested at the local elections on 3 May by five local authorities. Photographic and non photographic ID and free locally issued ID were all tested. Data so far and statements by the five Returning Officers indicate the pilots were overwhelmingly positive.The Government is making our voting system more secure to protect it from possible fraud, including by requiring electors to present a form of identification before voting. We will evaluate the pilots before announcing the next steps in delivering voter ID nationally.The Electoral Commission has welcomed the voter ID pilots as a positive first step towards implementing its 2014 recommendation that an accessible, proportionate voter identification scheme should be introduced in Great Britain. The Commission will publish its evaluation of the pilots in July.

Local Government: Elections

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: Whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of reducing the voting age to 16 in local government elections; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Government stated in its manifesto a commitment to maintain the current voting age at 18. The age of 18 is widely recognised as the age at which one becomes an adult and gains full citizenship rights. The Government therefore has no plans to lower the voting age.

Government Departments: Recruitment

Andrew Selous: What the Government's policy is on support for the Ban the Box initiative.

Oliver Dowden: The Government is supportive of all employers adopting the Ban the Box initiative. The Civil Service is leading by example and adopted the initiative in 2016 to provide fairer opportunities for ex-offenders to compete for jobs.

Devolution

Douglas Ross: What recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on their receiving additional powers as the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: I continue to hold constructive conversations with my counterparts in the devolved administrations on how to deliver a new wave of devolution as the UK departs the EU. The vast majority of powers in otherwise devolved areas - returning from Brussels - will now flow directly and immediately to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, bypassing Westminster entirely. JMC(EN) most recently discussed progress on 2 May.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Gavin Robinson: Whether he has made an assessment of the operation of recent voter ID pilots; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The data so far from the five voter ID pilots and statements by the Returning Officers indicate successful pilots, with most people’s experience being overwhelmingly positive.We will evaluate the pilots before announcing the next steps in delivering voter ID. The Electoral Commission will publish its evaluation in July.

Capita

Mr Stephen Hepburn: What recent assessment he has made of Capita’s ability to deliver its public service contract obligations.

Oliver Dowden: Public service delivery has not been affected by Capita’s announcements to date. My officials are in regular discussions with Capita’s leadership who have assured us that it remains committed to delivering its public sector contracts.Responsibility for monitoring service delivery sits within individual contracting authorities. For strategic suppliers, departments work with the Crown Representatives and Strategic Partnering Managers to identify and implement improvement opportunities.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons Commission: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many non-disclosure agreements the House of Commons has signed with employees of the House in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Tom Brake: In the last five years, the House of Commons has signed a number of settlement agreements with employees (formerly known as compromise agreements). In some cases, the House has reached agreements with individuals through ACAS, which are equivalent to settlement agreements but known as COT3 agreements. The majority of these have brought the employment contract to an end, although there have been a small number of in-employment settlements.The figures inclusive of all of settlement and COT3 agreements for each of the last five years are:2017 – 8 agreements2016 – 15 agreements2015 – 5 agreements2014 – 14 agreements2013 – 11 agreementsConfidentiality clauses are included in all or almost all of these agreements. Confidentiality clauses are intended to protect both the employer and the employee, as well as to ensure that the content of the settlement agreement itself is not discussed (so, for example, neither side will reveal how much, if any, money was paid under the agreement). An agreement will often include an agreed reference or public statement from the employer about the employee, and the confidentiality agreement will state that the only comment made by either party will be in the specified form.Since January 2015 such clauses have no longer been included as a matter of course. Each case is considered on its merits. Reasons for including a confidentiality clause can include: supporting an individual to leave in a dignified manner; not publicly undermining managers who have been involved in the case; and discouraging similar future claims.The House’s approach to confidentiality clauses follows the 2015 Cabinet Office Guidance on Settlement Agreements, Special Severance Payments and Confidentiality Clauses on Termination of Employment. They also follow this guidance with respect to protected disclosures (“whistleblowing”). Any provision in a settlement agreement which seeks to prevent protected disclosures is unenforceable, and since 2015 this has been made explicit with the following statement added to all agreements: “nothing in this Agreement is intended to prejudice the Employee’s rights related to protected disclosures”. All employees who sign settlement agreements receive advice on the contents of the agreement from an independent lawyer or an independent trade union official, for which the House pays.

Parliamentary Estate: Plastics

Caroline Lucas: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2018 to Question 128463, on Parliamentary Estate: Plastics, what the outcome was of the Administration Committee’s consideration of the proposed 25p charge for disposable cups on the parliamentary estate; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Brake: The Administration Committee discussed a range of initiatives proposed to reduce the consumption of single use disposable plastics on 26 March 2018, including the introduction of the 25p charge for disposable cups on the Parliamentary Estate.The Committee endorsed all the proposed measures including the introduction of the 25p charge, which will be implemented before the House returns from the summer recess later this year. They were agreed by the Commission on 14 May.A comprehensive statement outlining the strategy being implemented to tackle single-use avoidable plastics over the next 12 months was published on 15 May:https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/media-relations-group/news/parliaments-ambitious-plastic-plans-unveiled-/